Comparing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Group Therapy and Methadone Maintenance Therapy on Psychological Symptoms (Obsession, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, and Aggression) among Opioid-Dependent Patients

Background: Addiction is a multidimensional phenomenon that causes irreparable damages to an individual as well as community structure. Despite enormous efforts made, this phenomenon has not diminished. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based group therapy and methadone maintenance therapy in improving the psychological symptoms among opioid-dependent patients. Materials: This was a quasi-experimental study. The sample of this study included 57 patients (each group included 19 individuals) using the convenience sampling method among all those who referred to addiction treatment centers. The tools applied were the clinical interview and the symptom checklist for mental disorders. The obtained data was analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance (mixed). Results: The results indicated that although both mindfulness-based group therapy and commonly used treatments improved the psychological symptoms among the opioid-dependent patients, the mindfulness-based group therapy was more effective in this regard and it significantly led to an increase in the level of mental health among the opioid-dependent patients after coming off the drugs. Moreover, the results revealed that the effectiveness of these methods could also be observed in the follow-up period. Conclusions: According to the results, the mindfulness-based group therapy, compared to the methadone maintenance therapy, was more effective in decreasing risk behaviors among the opioid-dependent patients.