on PinterestA recent review shows that exercise may be nearly as effective as therapy for depression.
on PinterestA recent review shows that exercise may be nearly as effective as therapy for depression. Image Credit: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images
- A recently updated Cochrane review found that exercise may provide similar results for depression as therapy.
- Exercise is a low cost, widely available option that has various other benefits. This makes it an attractive option for helping to manage symptoms of depression.
- Research indicates that exercise can have a positive impact on overall mental health.
Regular exercise offers numerous benefits, particularly for mental health.
Now, researchers say exercise may help reduce depression symptoms as effectively as other first-line treatments.
A recently updated Cochrane review found that exercise yielded similar results to psychological therapy. When compared to antidepressants, however, the evidence was less clear.
Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States, affecting around 21 million adults. In 2021, approximately 61% of U.S. adults experiencing depression received treatment.
Exercise is a low cost option for symptom management that is widely available, making it an ideal treatment option for individuals and their prescribing healthcare team.
“Our findings suggest that exercise appears to be a safe and accessible option for helping to manage symptoms of depression,” lead study author Andrew Clegg, PhD, professor of geriatric medicine at the but not for everyone, and finding approaches that individuals are willing and able to maintain is important,” Clegg continued.
Effects of exercise on depression symptoms
The review examined 73 randomized controlled trials that included nearly 5,000 adults with depression.
The examined studies compared exercise with control interventions or no treatment, as well as with antidepressant medications and psychological therapies.
The results showed a moderate benefit of reducing symptoms of depression when compared to no treatment or controlled intervention. When exercise was compared to psychological therapy, it had a similar effect. This was based on moderate-certainty evidence from 10 trials.
The evidence in comparison to antidepressants was limited and of low certainty. However, it did show there may be similar effects on depression symptoms.
The long-term effects are still unclear, as few studies have followed participants after treatment.
“While it seems that long-term studies need to be done to further study this complex topic, this review can provide encouragement on the benefits of additional tools, such as exercise, in managing depression,” said Menije Boduryan-Turner, PsyD, licensed psychologist and founder of Embracing You Therapy, who wasn’t involved in the review.
Rod Mitchell, MC, MSc, a registered psychologist and founder of Emotions Therapy Calgary, in Alberta, Canada, who wasn’t involved in the review, agreed.
“The certainty is rated ‘low’ to ‘moderate’ due to methodological challenges — many studies lacked blinded assessors, adequate randomisation concealment, or intention-to-treat analysis,” Mitchell told Healthline.
“I’d caution against reading this as ‘exercise is just as good as therapy,'” he continued. “Therapy rewires thought patterns and processes underlying wounds. Medication adjusts neurochemistry. Exercise resets the nervous system. These aren’t interchangeable tools competing for the same job,” he added.
This review allows clinicians permission to take exercise seriously as a frontline intervention, rather than simply
Узнайте больше о пересадка волос в клинике Rubenhair.
Получите бесплатную консультацию
Проконсультируйтесь с нашими специалистами о процедуре FUE, PRP-терапии или пересадке волос.
