Anxiety and depression are common symptoms of a failure to cope with mental stress. Traditional treatments for these conditions have often involved psychotherapy. Now, mounting evidence suggests that physical activity is a comparable, economical alternative for treating and preventing mental health problems.
States and Traits
When studying anxiety and depression, researchers distinguish between states and traits. Traits are relatively stable aspects of personality. States are more transient and occur in specific situations. The effect of exercise on trait anxiety or depression is investigated through chronic exercise, or long-term exercise programs. Conversely, studies involving state anxiety or depression use acute exercise, or single bouts of activity.
Encouraging Findings
State anxiety small reductions in state anxiety are observed for 2 to 4 hours following acute exercise. They are limited to the more continuous, rhythmic (aerobic) types of activity. So far, 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic activity have shown reductions in state anxiety. More research with shorter exercise periods should determine the threshold at which anxiety-reducing effects start occurring. Passive treatments like relaxation, quiet rest or psychotherapy show similar improvements. However, the lowering of anxiety seems to persist longer following activity.
Trait anxiety Experiments using chronic exercise show anxiety reductions in people with any level of anxiety. Individuals who are within the normal range of anxiety from the start show the smallest improvements. Recent evidence shows that even highly anxious subjects experience reductions in anxiety following vigorous exercise. Therefore, fears of increasing anxiety or inducing panic attacks in people with neurotic anxiety through exercise need no longer exist.
Training programs lasting at least 10 weeks, especially those exceeding 15 weeks, lead to the greatest changes in trait anxiety.
Depression People often improve after doing aerobic activity for 2 to 6 months. Depressed patients who take psychotropic medications can also exercise without serious complications.
The Dark Side
Non-depressed individuals sometimes become depressed as a result of an “addiction” to exercise. This phenomenon occurs mainly in competitive athletes who undergo intense training or overtraining. It may occur in recreational athletes as well. In some cases, overtraining results in the “staleness syndrome,” a condition associated with deteriorating performance and other disturbances that sometimes include depression. When staleness occurs, rest is the best remedy.
Whether exercise results in beneficial or detrimental changes in mental health depends on the dosage. More research is needed to determine the ideal intensity, duration, frequency and mode of exercise that yield maximum benefits for the treatment of anxiety and depression.
How Exercise Heals the Mind
The action of exercise on mental health has already been explained by a dozen mechanisms. None has yet been proven. Likely, a number of mechanisms operate simultaneously. They can be psychologic or physiologic in nature, as shown by these two examples:
• Opponent-process theory According to this theory, the brain counters a stimulus by exerting an opposite stimulus. For example, it might counter the pain derived from exercise by exerting a pleasurable stimulus. The controversial endorphins may be the chemical messengers of this pleasurable sensation. Since the opponent process becomes stronger with time, long-term exposure to exercise leads to the famous “runner’s high.”
• Distraction hypothesis Here, psychologic distance from stressful stimuli is the key to improvements. Research supports this theory but suggests that other mechanisms come into play as well. Indeed, why would exercise have stronger anxiety-reducing effects than other interventions that also provide a distraction from the daily routine?
While researchers continue to probe the subject, practitioners and professionals can use one more tool to help people cope with anxiety and depression. Although physical activity has not yet been established as the cause of mental health improvements, it is clearly associated with positive mental health.
Prescriptions for Mental Health
For most people Prescribe physical activity to prevent anxiety and depression.
For people experiencing mild to moderate anxiety or depression Recommend physical activity as a treatment.
For people suffering from more severe emotional illness Prescribe physical activity in combination with other treatments.
Related posts:
- Anxiety Disorders on the Rise But treatments are increasingly effective Feeling anxious? You’re not alone. According to an article from the Chicago Tribune, published in the The Record, of Bergen County, N.J., anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental disorders. More than 19 million Americans suffer from...
- Work May Trigger Anxiety in Women Job stress found to cause a variety of mental ailments. Being overworked and underchallenged are job-related stress issues that for women may lead to depression, anxiety and feelings of hostility, according to a study of a group of women employed by a large corporation...
- Excercise and Depression Question. I am recovering from alcohol and drug addiction and ocassionally suffer from depression. It seems to me that exercise helps, even if it is just walking around the block. Do professionals recommend exercise to people who suffer from depression? And if so, why?...
- Cultural Issues in the Treatment of Anxiety Friedman S, editor New York, London: The Guilford Press; 1997. 261 pp. with index ISBN 1-57230-237-2 Anxiety is a profound human experience. Anxiety disorders are universal in human societies, although the diagnostic patterns vary over time and from one place to another. This volume...
- Anxiety Disorders: Diagnosis and Treatment Approach to Anxiety Disorders Diagnosis of uncomplicated anxiety disorders may be made by competent physicians in many specialties who have a thorough understanding of the etiology, signs and symptoms, impact and treatment of anxiety disorders. The accepted guidebook in making a diagnosis is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual...
Hello, everybody, who is interested to be healthy. My name is Kelly. I learnt about depression by my own experience. Now I am ok. Here I want to share my thoughts and ideas how to treat depression symptoms.