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?

Answer. I think many mental health professionals do recommend moderate aerobic exercise to patients with mild-to-moderate depression, though I do not have any figures to back that up. I doubt very much that many psychiatrists would recommend exercise as the primary treatment for more serious cases of depression, since there is very little if any evidence that exercise is effective in such cases.

Much of the evidence for the benefits of exercise on mood comes from studies of non-clinical populations participating in aerobics classes or other brief exercise regiments. Some studies do show positive effects. For example, one study of college-aged males found that 60 minutes of cycling reduced measures of anxiety (Garvin et al, International Journal of Sports Medicine, August 1997). In the clinical literature, one study (Segar et al, Oncology Nursing Forum, Jan.-Feb. 1998) found that mild-to-moderate aerobic exercise had therapeutic value in breast cancer survivors with respect to depressive and anxiety symptoms (though not self-esteem).

In my own view, depression is usually characterized by a kind of physical and emotional “torpor” – the patient feels that nothing will ever change for the better in his or her life. Exercise, in my view, can be an important symbol of the potential for change. Exercise may also lead to changes in body chemicals, such as endorphins, that may have beneficial effects on mood. But again, severe depression should in most cases be treated with a combination of psychotherapy and medication.


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