A recent study published in the British Medical Journal evaluated the impact of exercise on 14,000 participants with major depression. The findings revealed that exercise whether walking, jogging, yoga, strength training or mixed aerobic activity, was as effective in treating depression as antidepressants and psychotherapy.
The implications of this study are significant. Beyond its effectiveness, exercise is a low-cost, accessible option, which is especially important considering that even in high-income countries, mental health services are available to only 51% of the population.
Another, subtler benefit of the study lies in how medical advances often unfold. For example, when a new cancer drug is developed, it is typically tested on patients with advanced or terminal cancer first. The rationale is that if it works for the most severe cases, it should be even more effective for early-stage cancer.
This reasoning applies to depression treatment as well. If exercise can effectively treat major depression, it may also benefit those with less severe forms, such as minor or seasonal depression. Taking this idea further, it’s reasonable to suggest that regular exercise might even help prevent depression in the first place.
So, the choice is ours: the heavy burden of depression or the simple habit of a daily walk?
Dr. Barnett is a contributor at KnoxTNToday for a weekly column, DocTalk, providing his expertise on health and wellness management.
