Treating Depression With Exercise
According to Mayo Clinic, “depression is a [chronic] medical illness that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest,” and “can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.” That being said, there is exciting research that indicates physical exercise may be used as an effective alternative to treating depression with antidepressants and/or psychological therapies. This is particularly encouraging to patients who are not completely comfortable taking prescription medications and are looking for a more natural approach. The review, Exercise for Depression, was led by The Cochrane Library and was intended to update information previously compiled in 2009. Their primary objective was to determine “the effectiveness of exercise in the treatment of depression in adults [18 and older]…” A random selection if cases were studied where exercise treatment was compared to standard treatment, no treatment or placebo treatment, pharmacological treatment, psychological treatment, or other active treatments in adults with depression. The study concluded that exercise is not less effective than psychological therapy or pharmacological treatments. However, the small number of trials and participants leave the results far from definitive. The researchers claim the data would be strengthened by large-scale studies. There is hope that these initial findings will encourage future, more in-depth studies that will be put to clinical use.
At Rosewood Tempe we offer Outpatient Services that help treat depression in adults and adolescents. Using integrated, holistic counseling and therapeutic services, our program is designed to accommodate the scheduling needs of your busy life. Find out more about our ADULT and ADOLESCENT programs.
This post is a summary of an article from The Cochrane Library and does not include the opinions of Rosewood Centers for Eating Disorders or its affiliates.
