Mindfulness: an effective mental health treatment but not a panacea

It’s cheap with a wide range of health benefits – but there’s a shortage of teachers and NHS provision is patchyIt may be an ancient Buddhist practice, co-opted and misrepresented by celebrity practitioners, but scientists and health practitioners have found that mindfulness has specific benefits for mental health patients. The medical profession, too, is beginning to take it seriously.Consultant psychiatrist Dr Florian Ruths explains why: “MBCT [mindfulness based cognitive therapy] is a