Mental Health & Exercise
Published research and studies on mental health and exercise
Antidepressants or running therapy: Comparing effects on mental and physical health in patients with depression and anxiety disorders
Verhoeven, J. E., Han, L. K., Lever-van Milligen, B. A., Hu, M. X., Révész, D., Hoogendoorn, A. W., ... & Penninx, B. W. | 2023 | Journal of Affective Disorders, 329, 19-29
Background: Antidepressant medication and running therapy are both effective treatments for patients with depressive and anxiety disorders. However, they may work through different pathophysiological mechanisms and could differ in their impact on physical health. This study examined effects of antidepressants versus running therapy on both mental and physical health.
Methods: According to a partially randomized patient preference design, 141 patients with depression and/or anxiety disorder were randomized or offered preferred 16-week treatment: antidepressant medication (escitalopram or sertraline) or group-based running therapy ≥2 per week. Baseline (T0) and post-treatment assessment at week 16 (T16) included mental (diagnosis status and symptom severity) and physical health indicators (metabolic and immune indicators, heart rate (variability), weight, lung function, hand grip strength, fitness).
Results: Of the 141 participants (mean age 38.2 years; 58.2 % female), 45 participants received antidepressant medication and 96 underwent running therapy. Intention-to-treat analyses showed that remission rates at T16 were comparable (antidepressants: 44.8 %; running: 43.3 %; p = .881). However, the groups differed significantly on various changes in physical health: weight (d = 0.57; p = .001), waist circumference (d = 0.44; p = .011), systolic (d = 0.45; p = .011) and diastolic (d = 0.53; p = .002) blood pressure, heart rate (d = 0.36; p = .033) and heart rate variability (d = 0.48; p = .006).
Limitations: A minority of the participants was willing to be randomized; the running therapy was larger due to greater preference for this intervention.
Conclusions: While the interventions had comparable effects on mental health, running therapy outperformed antidepressants on physical health, due to both larger improvements in the running therapy group as well as larger deterioration in the antidepressant group. Trial registration: Trialregister.nl Number of identification: NTR3460
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Running as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy
Frederic Leer, MSW | 1980
National Association of Social Workers, Inc
The physical benefits of running and other forms of exercise have been highly publicized over the past several years. This article explores the equally valuable psychological benefits to be derived from running and examines how mastering a physical skill can be generalized to mastery in other areas of life.
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The Running Meditation Response:
An Adjunct to Psychotherapy
Solomon, E. G., & Bumpus, A. K. | 1978
American Journal of Psychotherapy, 32(4), 583–592
Notes that an altered state of consciousness or peak experience is activated by simultaneously practicing the physical technique of slow, long-distance running and the mental technique of practical meditation. Hypnosis is used in selected cases to further enhance and accelerate addiction to this new modality. Indications and contraindications are discussed, as well as physiologic and psychologic effects. Specific uses in various psychiatric, psychosomatic, and somatic syndromes are outlined, and suggestions are included for incorporating this modality into the framework of individual and/or group psychotherapy.
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Exercise as Treatment for Anxiety:
Systematic Review and Analysis
Stonerock, G., Hoffman, B., Smith, P., & Blumenthal, G. | 2015
Annals of Behavioral Medicine 49(4)
Background: Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, but few studies have studied exercise in individuals pre-selected because of their high anxiety.
Purpose: To review and critically evaluate studies of exercise training in adults with either high levels of anxiety or an anxiety disorder.
Methods: We conducted a systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in which anxious adults were randomized to an exercise or non-exercise control condition. Data were extracted concerning anxiety outcomes and study design. Existing meta-analyses were also reviewed.
Results: Evidence from 12 RCTs suggested benefits of exercise, for select groups, similar to established treatments and greater than placebo. However, most studies had significant methodological limitations, including small sample sizes, concurrent therapies, and inadequate assessment of adherence and fitness levels.
Conclusions: Exercise may be a useful treatment for anxiety, but lack of data from rigorous, methodologically sound RCTs precludes any definitive conclusions about its effectiveness.
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Longitudinal Associations Between Physical Activity and Depression Scores in Swedish Women Followed 32 Years
Gudmundsson, P., Lindwall, M., Gustafson, D., Ostling, S., Hallstrom, T., Waern, M., & Skoog, I. | 2015
National Library of Medicine
Objective: Physical activity is negatively associated with depressive symptoms. However, few studies consider dynamic associations of changes in physical activity and reciprocal relationships. This study aimed to perform comprehensive evaluations of relationships between physical activity and depression scores in women followed from mid- to late-life.
Method: The Prospective Population Study of Women in Gothenburg, Sweden provided repeated measures of self-reported physical activity and depressive symptoms between 1974–2005 (baseline N=676, 84.5 % response rate). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale and physical activity was evaluated by the Saltin-Grimby Physical Activity Level Scale. Latent growth curve analyses were used to evaluate associations of change and cross-lagged models were used to study the reciprocal relationship between physical activity and depression scores.
Results: At baseline, lower levels of physical activity were related to higher depression scores. Individuals with decreasing physical activity over time evidenced higher depression scores at 32 year follow-up. Higher average baseline depression score was related to declining levels of physical activity at subsequent examinations.
Conclusion: Reduced physical activity may be a long-term consequence of depression. It is important to address individual changes in physical activity and not merely absolute levels of physical activity in relationship to depression.
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Effects of a Six-Month Walking Intervention on Depression in Inactive Post-Menopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Bernard, P., Ninot, G., Bernard, P.L., Picot, M.C., Jaussent, A., Tallon, G. & Blain, H. | 2014
Research Gate
Objectives: Physical inactivity and advanced age are associated with risk of depressive disorders. Physical activity can reduce depressive symptoms in older subjects with depressive disorders. We investigated whether a walking intervention program may decrease the occurrence of depressive symptoms in inactive post-menopausal women without depression.
Method: A total of 121 participants aged 5775 years were randomly assigned to a six-month moderate intensity walking intervention (three times a week, 40 minutes per session, supervised and home-based) or to a control group (waiting list). Inactivity was assessed using the Physical Activity Questionnaire for the Elderly. Depression levels were measured pre- and post-intervention with the Beck depression inventory (BDI). Several baseline measures were considered as possible predictors of post-intervention BDI score.
Results: Participants in the walking intervention showed a significant decrease in depression as compared with controls. Baseline cognitive-BDI subscore, subjective health status, body mass index and adherence were post-intervention BDI score predictors.
Conclusion: A six-month, three-session per week, moderate intensity walking intervention with a minimal 50% adherence rate reduces depression in post-menopausal women at risk for depression due to physical inactivity. This type of walking intervention could be considered as a widely accessible prevention strategy to prevent depressive symptoms in post-menopausal women at risk of depression.
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Two Interventions Decrease Anxiety Sensitivity Among High Anxiety Sensitive Women: Could Physical Exercise be the Key?
Krigoslov, O., Sabourin, B., Stewart S., & Watt, M. | 2016
National Library of Medicine
A brief group-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), with running as an interoceptive exposure (IE) component, was effective in reducing anxiety sensitivity (AS) levels in undergraduate women (Watt, Stewart, Lefaivre, & Uman, 2006). This study investigated whether the CBT/IE intervention would result in decreases in AS and emotional distress that would be maintained over 14 weeks. Female undergraduates, high (n 5 81) or low (n 5 73) in AS, were randomized to 3-day CBT plus forty-two 10-min running IE trials (n 5 83) or 3-day health education control (HEC) with interactive discussions and problem solving on exercise, nutrition, and sleep (n 5 71). The CBT/IE intervention led to decreases in AS, depression, and stress symptoms for high AS participants, which were maintained at 14 weeks. Unexpectedly, HEC participants experienced similar and lasting decreases in AS, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, there were no post-intervention differences between CBT/IE and HEC participants in any of the outcomes. Low AS participants experienced few sustained changes. Clinical implications and the possible role of aerobic exercise in explaining outcomes of both interventions are discussed.
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For Depression and Anxiety, Running Is a Unique Therapy
Douglas, Scott | 2018
Runner’s World
"Running puts everyone in a good mood. But for some of us, our miles are key to managing depression and anxiety."
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Sport and Memory Go Hand in Hand
Blanca Marin Bosch, Aurélien Bringard, Maria Grazia Logrieco, Estelle Lauer, Nathalie Imobersteg, Aurélien Thomas, Guido Ferretti, Sophie Schwartz, Kinga Igloi | 2020
Science Daily
If sport is good for the body, it also seems to be good for the brain. By evaluating memory performance following a sport session, neuroscientists demonstrate that an intensive physical exercise session improves memory. How? Through the action of endocanabinoids, molecules known to increase synaptic plasticity. School programs and strategies aimed at reducing the effects of neurodegeneration on memory could benefit from the study.
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Another Mother Runner Podcast: #305 Author Alex Hutchinson on Mental Endurance
Another Mother Runner Podcast | 2018
Sarah and co-host Tish Hamilton enjoy a quick catch-up, and Tish tells the tale of her spring break PR. (Psst: It involves location, not time!) Alex Hutchinson, author of the newly released ENDURE: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, joins the conversation to talk about mental endurance and the power of the mind. In calming tones, Alex explains limits are negotiable and the importance of getting out of your own way. From “the base of the mountain,” he talks about how to become aware of the internal monologue you have with yourself on a run—and how to reframe that “conversation” to enhance self-belief. Nod along as Alex discusses the “deeply worn grooves in your mind.” Validation that the mere perception of mental fatigue (sigh) can affect a run leads to an intriguing pre-race suggestion. Sarah and Alex discuss the timing of when to work out, with Alex offering a practical point sure to resonate with mother runners. He offers many bits of running advice that apply for everyday life, including singing the praises of running with someone.
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Physical Activity and Mental Health: The Association Between Exercise and Mood
Marco Aurélio Monteiro Peluso; Laura Helena Silveira Guerra de Andrade | 2005
Clinics vol.60 no.1 São Paulo
Physical activity is an important public health tool used in the treatment and prevention of various physical diseases, as well as in the treatment of some psychiatric diseases such as depressive and anxiety disorders. However, studies have shown that in addition to its beneficial effects, physical activity can also be associated with impaired mental health, being related to disturbances like "excessive exercise" and "overtraining syndrome". Although the number of reports of the effects of physical activity on mental health is steadily increasing, these studies have not yet identified the mechanisms involved in the benefits and dangers to mental health associated with exercise. This article reviews the information available regarding the relationship between physical activity and mental health, specifically addressing the association between exercise and mood.
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Effects of Exercise on Anxiety, Depression, and Mood
Psychiatria Polska | 2004
Europe PMC
This article reviews the studies on the effects of physical activity on the emotional states--anxiety, depression and mood. The meta-analyses of correlational and experimental studies reveal positive effects of exercise, in healthy people and in clinical populations (also in patients with emotional disorders) regardless of gender and age. The benefits are significant especially in subjects with an elevated level of anxiety and depression because of more room for possible change. The most improvements are caused by rhythmic, aerobic exercises, using of large muscle groups (jogging, swimming, cycling, walking), of moderate and low intensity. They should be conducted for 15 to 30 minutes and performed a minimum of three times a week in programs of 10-weeks or longer. The results confirm the acute effect of exercise i.e. the reductions in anxiety and depression after single sessions of exercise. The changes in anxiety, depression and mood states after exercise are explained most frequently by the endorphin and monoamine hypotheses. Exercise may also increase body temperature, blood circulation in the brain and impact on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and physiological reactivity to stress. The possible psychological mechanisms include improvement of self-efficacy, distraction and cognitive dissonance.
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Integrating Physical Activity Into Mental Health Services For Persons With Serious Mental Illness
Richardson, C. R. MD, Faulkner, G. Ph.D., McDevitt, J. Ph.D., F.N.P., Skrinar, G.S. Ph.D., Hutchinson, D.S., Sc.D., & Piette, J.D. Ph.D. | 2005
Psychiatry Online
This article reviews evidence supporting the need for interventions to promote physical activity among persons with serious mental illness. Principles of designing effective physical activity interventions are discussed along with ways to adapt such interventions for this population. Individuals with serious mental illness are at high risk of chronic diseases associated with sedentary behavior, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The effects of lifestyle modification on chronic disease outcomes are large and consistent across multiple studies. Evidence for the psychological benefits for clinical populations comes from two meta-analyses of outcomes of depressed patients that showed that effects of exercise were similar to those of psychotherapeutic interventions. Exercise can also alleviate secondary symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal. Although structured group programs can be effective for persons with serious mental illness, especially walking programs, lifestyle changes that focus on accumulation of moderate-intensity activity throughout the day may be most appropriate. Research suggests that exercise is well accepted by people with serious mental illness and is often considered one of the most valued components of treatment. Adherence to physical activity interventions appears comparable to that in the general population. Mental health service providers can provide effective, evidence-based physical activity interventions for individuals with serious mental illness.
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Exercise, A Neglected Aspect of Mental Health Care?
Callaghan P. | 2004
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 11, 476–483
This paper reports the results of a literature review examining the effects of exercise on men- tal health and well-being. Throughout history many societies, ancient and modern, have used exercise as a means of preventing disease, and promoting health and well-being. There is evidence that exercise is beneficial for mental health; it reduces anxiety, depression, and negative mood, and improves self-esteem and cognitive functioning. Exercise is also asso- ciated with improvements in the quality of life of those living with Schizophrenia. However, exercise is seldom recognized by mainstream mental health services as an effective inter- vention in the care and treatment of mental health problems. There is evidence to suggest that exercise may be a neglected intervention in mental health care.
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Exercise for Mental Health
Sharma, A. MD, Madaan, V. MD, & Petty, F.D. MD | 2006
Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 8(2):106
In this era of exponential growth of the “metabolic syndrome” and obesity, lifestyle modifications could be a cost-effective way to improve health and quality of life. Lifestyle modifications can assume especially great importance in individuals with serious mental illness. Many of these individuals are at a high risk of chronic diseases associated with sedentary behavior and medication side effects, including diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. An essential component of lifestyle modification is exercise. The importance of exercise is not adequately understood or appreciated by patients and mental health professionals alike. Evidence has suggested that exercise may be an often-neglected intervention in mental health care.
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