Exercise should be a “core treatment” for people with depression, academics have said, after a new study suggested that some forms of exercise were just as good as therapy and even better than anti-depressants.
Walking, jogging, yoga and strength training appeared to be more effective than other types of exercises, according to a major new analysis.
And the more vigorous the exercise, the better, according to a research team led by academics in Australia.
But even low intensity exercises such as walking and yoga had meaningful benefit.
The effect of exercise appeared superior to antidepressants, according to the study which has been published in The BMJ.
But when exercise was combined with antidepressants, this improved the effect of the drugs.
It’s like “just” fighting off cancer. Depression is an illness. Exercise can be a good treatment for some people but we wouldn’t leave it up to a cancer patient to determine and manage their own treatment. Especially when the illness actively prevents the patient from being able to “self medicate” as it were.
Fully agreed on that.
The only proviso is that I think it’s less that exercise makes depression better, and more than a lack of exercise makes it worse. It’s a subtle distinction, but makes a difference.
Unfortunately, it seems that self driven treatment is the norm. Even worse, if you stop engaging with it (due to being unable to balance everything), it’s taken as you are now fine, and you are removed from care, and so back to square 1.