

One of NijCa²re’s research lines concerns the treatment of depression. These so-called treatment studies typically take the format of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in which the efficacy or effectiveness of one treatment is compared with another and participants are randomly allocated to one of the two treatment arms. An RCT may, for example, evaluate whether the addition of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) to an ongoing treatment of a therapy-resistant depression helps achieve an earlier remission, where the control group solely continues with the original treatment. At study conclusion it can then be established whether the added MBCT was effective or not. In depression treatment research, we are also eager to identify predictors of treatment success. For instance, are people with a particular personality type more likely to respond better to treatment than people with other personality types?