Exercise Is Even More Effective Than Counseling or Medication for Depression

 

Exercise is a useful tool for treating a variety of mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression. As a matter of fact, exercise could be more powerful than prescription and guiding for misery.

Millions of people worldwide are reporting mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and others, putting the world at risk for a mental health crisis. Recent estimates indicate that nearly half of all Australians will suffer from a mental health condition at some point in their lives.

Depression and anxiety are among the most significant contributors to the burden of health-related diseases, and their treatment has a devastating impact on both individuals and society. One-third of people are experiencing significant increases in rates of psychological distress as a result of the COVID pandemic, which is exacerbated the situation.

Our new research emphasizes the significance of exercise in the management of these conditions, despite the fact that conventional treatments like therapy and medication can be effective. 1,000 studies looking at how physical activity affects mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress. It demonstrated that exercise can be just as effective as counseling or medication in treating mental health issues.

Stronger, Harder, and Faster

There were 1,039 trials and 128,119 participants in the 97 review papers that we looked at. When compared to standard care (such as medication), we found that engaging in 150 minutes of various forms of physical activity each week-such as brisk walking, lifting weights, and yoga-significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and psychological distress.

People with depression, HIV, kidney disease, pregnancies and postpartum women, and healthy individuals reported the greatest improvements, but there were clear benefits for all populations.

We discovered that exercise is more beneficial when done at a higher intensity. For instance, walking at a rapid pace as opposed to the usual pace. Additionally, exercising for a longer period of time, such as six to twelve weeks, has the greatest advantages. Longer-term practice is significant for keeping up with emotional well-being enhancements.

What Amounts More Successful?

Our findings indicate that exercise is approximately 1.5 times more effective than either medication or cognitive behavior therapy when compared to other common treatments for mental health conditions from previous systematic reviews.

In addition, exercise has additional advantages over medication, including lower costs, fewer side effects, and bonus gains for physical health, such as a healthier weight, improved cardiovascular and bone health, and cognitive advantages.

How It Functions

It is believed that exercise has a variety of short- and long-term effects on mental health. Endorphins and dopamine are released into the brain right after exercise.

This helps to alleviate stress and improve mood in the short term. Long-term, exercise-induced neurotransmitter release promotes changes in the brain that improve mood and cognition, reduce inflammation, and boost immune function-all of which have an impact on our mental health and brain function.

Improved sleep, which plays a crucial role in depression and anxiety, can be achieved through regular exercise. Additionally, it has psychological advantages, including improved self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment, both of which are advantageous to individuals who are battling depression.

Certainly Not An "Alternative" Treatment

The results point to the importance of exercise in coping with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress.

A few clinical rules as of now recognize the job of activity - for instance, the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Rules, recommend medicine, psychotherapy and way of life changes like activity.

However, other authoritative organizations, such as the American Psychological Association's Clinical Practice Guidelines, place an emphasis solely on psychotherapy and medication, and they classify exercise as an "alternative" treatment, placing it in the same category as acupuncture. When it comes to treatment, the term "alternative" can mean a lot of different things, but it typically implies that it falls outside of conventional medicine or does not have a strong evidence base. In the case of mental health exercise, neither of these things is true.

Even in Australia, psychotherapy and medication are typically prescribed more frequently than exercise. This may be due to the difficulty of prescribing and monitoring exercise in clinical settings. Additionally, patients may be resistant due to a lack of motivation or energy.

However, don’t "Go It Alone"

It is essential to note that, despite the fact that exercise can be a useful tool for managing mental health issues, individuals with mental health issues should collaborate with a medical professional to develop a comprehensive treatment plan rather than embarking on a new exercise regimen on their own.

Along with treatments like psychotherapy and medication, a treatment plan may include lifestyle changes like exercising regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and socializing.

However, exercise should not be considered a luxury. The best part is that it is free and comes with a lot of additional health benefits, making it a powerful and easy-to-use tool for managing mental health conditions.