Physical activity is as good or slightly better than medication and psychotherapy for managing mental health issues; high-intensity exercise is even better
By Sravya Valiveti. This article was initially published in the 1/11/24 edition of our Concussion Update newsletter; please consider subscribing.
An article posted on the British Journal of Sports Medicine Blog highlighted the effectiveness and significant benefits of physical activity when utilized as an intervention for a range of mental health issues, specifically in managing symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress in adults. The article summarized results from a recent systematic review study published by author Singh, B. et al. Statistics show that nearly 44% (i.e., almost 1 in 2 people) will experience a mental health disorder at some point in their lifetime, with depression being the leading contributor to the global mental health disease burden.
This health burden calls for a greater focus on prioritizing mental well-being and improved mental health interventions that effectively cater to patient needs. Based on the key takeaways from the study, physical activity clearly showed moderate positive effects on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress. Across clinical populations, the authors found the size of this effect to be comparable to that of, or even slightly better than, interventions that included medications and psychotherapy. Findings also revealed that high-intensity exercise, in particular, tends to provide a more significant amount of benefit for those experiencing a broad range of mental health symptoms.
The study team included 97 systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials and analyzed the clinical research trial data from 1,039 trials that previously assessed the impact of increased physical activity on managing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress. They also evaluated how the positive effects would vary based on clinical populations, exercise types, and intensities. They note that a growing body of evidence strongly endorses these positive results, which further reinforces how physical activity should be a core intervention rather than an alternative and needs to be the mainstay of treatment to promote mental health outcomes for patients.
The authors highlighted that there have been some limitations that have prevented physical activity from being widely accepted and implemented as a therapeutic intervention in mental health treatment, which they note may have been primarily due to “patient resistance, difficulties with prescribing and monitoring physical activity in clinical settings, and the large number of disparate studies” that likely restricted implementation within the clinical setting in the past.