Are you struggling with depression? Walking or jogging, yoga, and strength training seem to be the most effective exercises alone or in combination with prescribed treatments such as psychotherapy and medication for alleviating depression.
New evidence, based on a review of 218 trials involving 14,170 participants with depression and published by the BMJ, shows that the more vigorous the activity, the greater the benefits.
Researchers from Spain, Denmark, Australia and Finland say that this form of exercise “can be considered as a primary treatment for depression with psychotherapy and medication”.
Compared to active controls, significant reductions in depression were found for dance and moderate reductions for walking or running, yoga, strength training, mixed aerobic exercise, and tai chi or qigong.
Moderate, clinically meaningful effects were found when exercise was combined with SSRIs or when aerobic exercise was combined with psychotherapy, suggesting that exercise can provide additional benefits along with established treatment.
Ogaoga was more effective among older adults, while strength training was more effective among younger adults.
The effect is the same for individual and group exercises. The team said the quality of the evidence was low, and few trials followed participants for a year or more.
Many patients may have physical, psychological or social barriers to participation, he said.
However, they suggest that a combination of social interaction, meditation, and immersion in green spaces may help explain the positive effects.
“While the health system offers these treatments as alternatives or adjuncts to other established interventions, they can address the physical health risks associated with depression.”
