Exercise and Mental Health
How do the two relate?
You’re depressed? Go for a run.
You’re anxious? Lift some weights.
You’re feeling low? Go to a class.
The amount of times a doctor has suggested I use exercise as a cure all for a mental health problem is too many to count. Therapists suggest it, instragram suggests it (and is there a more reliable source than instagram!?!). But is there actually any proof that in the long term, exercise helps those with mental health issues to control their symptoms?
I’m going to try and sift through the mass of information we get thrown at us around the subject of fitness and mental health and leave you with a list of resources to help you make sense of it! It’s a minefield, but we’ll work it out.
The NHS seemed like a good place to start, the headline certainly caught my eyes. ‘Regular exercise may help lower your risk of depression’.[1] An international team from Rio de Janeiro, Belgium, Australia, Sweden, Canada and London conducted this research. The research saw 266,000 people, none of whom reported symptoms of depression, followed for an average of 7.4 years logging their activity levels and seeing if they developed any depressive symptoms. The study cannot rule out the presence of depression in active individuals, as it does not take into consideration other lifestyle factors such as long-term illness.
The study concluded that those who did most activity were 17% less likely to develop depressive symptoms. Out of this, and three other studies, came the NHS magic number: 150 minutes of activity per week. Those who achieve this activity goal were found to be 22% less likely to develop depression.
But what about exercise as a form of treatment for mental health issues? This is where the problems lie. There are endless articles on Mail Online or in The Sun claiming cures to mental health problems can be found in the gym. But is there actually any scientific proof to back up these phenomenal claims?
‘Exercise training is one intervention that may act on these two fronts, simultaneously decreasing the risk of depressive episodes in people free from depression and reducing depressive symptoms in people with depression’[2] One quoted study states that even in patients with depression, more physical activity is significantly allied to lower depression severity.[3] The popular theory of the post-exercise endorphin high has been proven true[4] and it is therefore no surprise that this has led to the potential for exercise to be used in symptom management in depression. However this is not a long-term cure, but rather a short-term tool for symptom relief.
So while it has been proven to some extent that exercise can in fact be preventative as well as a good means of symptom control, it is not the be all and end all. It is still so important to get in tune with your body, your symptoms and reach out for professional help. Counsellors, therapists, doctors, they are all there to help you find the best combination of therapies and treatments to help you gain a little more control over your symptoms.
This is a whistle stop tour of a couple of pieces of research in this area, but there is so much out there. Here are some books, podcasts and links I found especially helpful. I hope this helped you start to make sense of this.
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Podcasts
· BBC 5 Live Fit and Fearless – The science of exercise
· The Deliciously Ella Podcast – The science behind why exercise is good for your body and your mind
· The Food Medic Podcast – Exercise is medicine: Mental health and Physical activity
· Mental Health Foundation Podcast – Exercise and Mental Health
· Happy Place Podcast*
Books
· Sport and Physical Activity for Mental Health – David Carless and Kitrina Douglas
· Eight Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise – Christina Hibbert
· Reasons to Stay Alive – Matt Haig*
· Eat Drink Run – Bryony Gordon*
· Exercise-Based Interventions for Mental Illness: Physical Activity as Part of Clinical Treatment – Brendon Stubbs and Simon Rosenbaum
Websites
· Mind.org.uk
· Mentalhealth.org.uk
· Nhs.uk
*Those with an asterisk are anecdotal but still useful and enjoyable
[1] https://www.nhs.uk/news/mental-health/regular-exercise-may-help-lower-your-risk-depression/
[2] Stubbs, Brendon, Rosenbaum, Simon. Exercise-Based Interventions for Mental Illness: Physical Activity as Part of Clinical Treatment.
[3] Harris et al., 2006
[4] Yeung, 1996
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