But It Is Less Helpful For Delusions And Hallucinations: Exercise Improves Mental Health

The benefits for physical health are so extensive, that even if it doesn’t help your mood or mental state, it will potentially help a whole lot of other things.

Rather than a treatment on its own, people with severe depression may find it very difficult to exercise and even when they can, it needs to be seen as an adjunct to treatment, says Dr Caryl Barnes.

Jorm himself cycles daily, including to and from work, and rarely uses a car or public transport. Exercise was shown to improve schizophrenia symptoms such as blunted emotions, loss of drive and thinking difficulties. It is less helpful for delusions and hallucinations. He describes himself as the fortunate people who has a very stable mood but says the exercise nonetheless benefits him mentally.

Great article guys, you go into loads of depth on the real issue.

Another question is. What do you think it owuld take for this to become something that every doctor may strongly recommend as treatment? Exactly how exercise might boost mood isn’t well understood. That’s where it starts getting very serious, right? Some possibilities are that it. For instance, why is this? You make the point that exercise isn’t a designated treatment for mental illness.

There’s also no clear evidence on which exercise type works best, or how much is needed to bring about different effects. It’s better to start at a low level and gradually build up than aim o high and risk being turned off, says Jorm, while intense exercise may have greater benefits. Exercise ain’t considered an established treatment for mental disorders, apart from depression. It’s best if you do it in blocks no shorter than 10 minutes, you don’t have to do the 30 minutes all in one go. Now pay attention please. Thirty minutes brisk walking a few times a week is an ideal general starting point, he suggests. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists recommends that exercise may complement other treatments for mental illnesses and be used to help recovery, prevent recurrences, and manage some side effects medications.

Although ‘no one”s quite sure why, people with depression may also benefit physically from exercise as they are known to be at higher risk of heart disease.

For many years I struggled to exercise as much as I could, and kept getting worse. This is where you effectively don’t have any aerobic capacity, and if you try to do anything you ‘hit the wall’ that elite athletes eg marathon runners. Exercise must be good, sure we are a small population percentage, and it makes sense that part of being an animal involves movement. Years later there is evidence for ‘Post Exertional’ Malaise being a real entity. Just think for a moment. For a few of us, we get worse, and its very real.

The relationship between exercise and mental health is complex and bidirectional -in that inactivity can be both a cause and consequence of mental illness, says Jorm, from the Centre for Mental Health at Melbourne University. Exercise physical benefits may be especially important to those with severe mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, who die on average 16 to 20 years earlier than the general population -largely because of physical health risk factors stemming from poor access to medical care, poor diet, little exercise and weight gain related to medication use.

The evidence from randomised controlled trials suggests exercise has a moderate to large effect for people with depression.

It is also moderately effective for anxiety. Studies that track people over time show taking up physical exercise seems to reduce developing risk mental disorders, indeed not only does research show regular exercisers have better mental health and emotional wellbeing and lower rates of mental illness.

There is limited research to guide how much and what sort of exercise to do. Both aerobic exercise and resistance exercise may be effective. Three exercise sessions per week, each lasting at least 30 minutes at moderate to vigorous intensity are recommended for a minimum of 8 weeks.

Higher doses of exercise may be more effective at improving mental illness but people may be less likely to stick to them.

To stop it worsening so they don’t have to go off and get other types of treatment types, he says, For many people with mild depression or anxiety, that may be sufficient to produce some improvement in their mood.

Run or gym workout to shake off stress or lift a low mood, there’s some science on your side too, if you’re someone who uses an ideal walk. You can enhance your wellbeing and vitality, even if you don’t have depression or anxiety or a serious mental illness that you want help managing. Promoting good mental health, dr Nicola Burton. Says when it comes to exercise we’re not only talking about preventing poor mental health or treating it.