According to a new study, healthcare providers would do well to pay more attention to exercise when treating depression.
Exercise and Depression
For some, this might not sound strange at all. As a fitness enthusiast, you may already feel like you’re getting depressed if you miss a few workouts. But even when we talk about clinical depression, exercise can play a significant role.
Researchers from Michigan State University and the University of Michigan asked 295 patients receiving treatment at a mental health clinic if they would like to be more physically active and if exercise improved their mood and anxiety levels. They also asked the patients if they wanted the therapist to help them become more active.
85% of the participants indicated they wanted to exercise more, and over 80% believed it would help reduce their mood and anxiety. Nearly half expressed interest in discussing this further, and many wanted advice from their therapist about exercise. More than half of the patients also expressed interest in personalized exercise guidance and were willing to pay more for it. However, this was almost never discussed in therapy sessions, which the researchers see as a missed opportunity.
The findings of the study were published in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry [1]. Carol Janney from Michigan State University refers to studies showing that exercise is effective in alleviating mild to moderate depression and anxiety. However, like many people, many individuals with mental health issues don’t get enough exercise. More than half of the research participants reported that their mood made it difficult for them to exercise. This can lead to a vicious cycle where doctors and therapists may have a role in helping break it. Offering exercise programs in mental health settings could be an effective method to achieve this and improve both physical and mental health.
Marcia Valenstein, a fellow researcher at the University of Michigan, adds that mental health programs could benefit from collaborating with fitness programs to support patients’ willingness to exercise. For instance, mental health institutions could employ personal trainers or establish good partnerships with recreational and sports facilities.
Both researchers note that while exercise is often discussed between patient and healthcare provider, it’s rare for the provider to take the time to develop a concrete plan with the patient to achieve sufficient exercise. This doesn’t mean therapists are expected to calculate macros or create training schedules, but collaboration with personal trainers or training programs could prove highly beneficial.
If this added value is demonstrated in further research, it could also involve a role for health insurers.
References:
- Carol A. Janney, Kathryn Fant Brzoznowski, Caroline R. Richardson, Richard R. Dopp, Michelle L. Segar, Dara Ganoczy, Ann J. Mooney, Lauren Emerson, Marcia Valenstein. Moving Towards Wellness: Physical activity practices, perspectives, and preferences of users of outpatient mental health service. General Hospital Psychiatry, 2017; 49: 63
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163834317300476?via%3Dihub
