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.
Mental illness is illness. If someone had a physical disability that made even going to physical therapy difficult, we’d expect more resources to be directed to help them get there to improve their lives. Or at the very least, we’d have enough empathy to say “damn, that sucks, and it isn’t your fault alone.”
I genuinely hope you never have to experience a mental health that gives you a real perspective on how that deep depression feels. But I also hope you show basic empathy to people struggling. It’s a boomer mindset that’s trickled down to us.
Bipolar 1 checking in:
Exercise has been a godsend. When I’ve been better, I would run a 5k a day at lunch. I felt calmer, more stable, and happier.
But when the depression hits, the whole process falls apart. I’ll find myself smoking weed to try and numb the feelings but I just end up in a hole for weeks or months. Are these things I can change? Yea, but if I don’t have the support of professionals, meds, friends and family, I don’t get that push that gets me out of it.
But maybe you have had that experience of waking up on a new day. Perhaps the first day of spring. Perhaps after an oddly good sleep. You wake up and that voice saying “it doesn’t have to be like this” is louder than the voice telling you “it’s hopeless to try”.
Moods go up, moods go down. I have found the time I’m strongest against my depression is when I’m stable, and it’s the actions I do then that help me survive the darkness. Exercise won’t get me out of a depression, but it does keep it from rearing it’s ugly head; at least for one more day.
I know one day I will go back to that hole. I know full well my brightest days will come to an end and I will feel that empty feeling. Until then, I try to put on my running shoes, start my running playlist, and take it one step at a time.
P.S, sorry for launching you meeps.
🌎 🚀🥺 🌔
So what’s the solution?
There’s no direct one-size-fits-all solution because mental illness is complex and very personal. Anecdotally, depression can be more of a symptom than the underlying root cause in a lot of cases, especially if trauma is involved. A good therapist and support from peers is invaluable for identifying deeper causes and patterns. On a day-to-day level, depressed people may need gentle encouragement from someone in their proximity, something to break their routine in a positive way, support if they’re frustrated with what little they’re able to accomplish, and help breaking down big tasks into small pieces that they can more easily summon the energy for.
Medication can certainly help, as well as exercise and diet - but if someone’s not there yet, simply pointing to those and treating someone like they’re just not putting the effort in is extremely damaging. It reinforces the catastrophization that can occur and makes people feel like they’ll never be able to take control of their lives and it’s their fault. And if deeper causes are involved, they may not be able to explore those around someone telling them to just exercise more.