The Effectiveness of Bigdeli Mind Simulation in Improving Psychological Symptoms and Mental Health among Patients with Depression
Keywords:
Bigdeli Mind Simulation, Psychological Symptoms, Mental Health, Depression, Anxiety, StressAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Bigdeli Mind Simulation in reducing psychological symptoms and improving mental health among patients diagnosed with depression.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest control-group design. The statistical population consisted of men and women aged over 18 years with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms who attended the Mind and Psyche Specialized Psychology Clinic in Tehran in 2024. Using convenience sampling, 30 eligible participants were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. Data were collected using the Goldberg General Health Questionnaire and the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. The experimental group received the Bigdeli Mind Simulation intervention in five 60-minute sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention during the study period. The collected data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance in SPSS version 26.
Findings: The inferential analyses demonstrated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in overall psychological symptoms following the intervention (p < .001). Bigdeli Mind Simulation significantly reduced depressive symptoms (p < .001), anxiety and stress symptoms (p = .001), and somatic symptoms (p < .001). The intervention also produced significant improvements in sleep disturbance (p < .001) and social functioning (p < .001). Collectively, these findings supported the research hypotheses and indicated that participants receiving Bigdeli Mind Simulation experienced significantly greater improvements in psychological symptoms and general mental health than participants in the control group.
Conclusion: Bigdeli Mind Simulation appears to be an effective brief psychological intervention for reducing depression, anxiety, stress, somatic complaints, and sleep-related difficulties while improving social functioning and general mental health in patients with depression. This intervention may therefore be considered a potentially useful complementary treatment within psychological and mental health services. Further studies with larger samples, follow-up assessments, and comparisons with established therapeutic approaches are recommended.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Hamid Kamarzarin (Author); Mojtaba Bigdeli Shamloo
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