Exercise for the Treatment of Depression

Abstract

Depression is a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep and/or appetite, low energy, and poor concentration.Depression is a widespread and often chronic condition.Lifetime prevalence estimates for major depressive disorder are approximately 15% to 20%; 1-year prevalence estimates are 5% to 10%.Moreover, depression is characterized by high rates of relapse: 22% to 50% of patients suffer recurrent episodes within 6 months after recovery.Depression is associated with a high incidence of co-morbid somatic illness.Individuals suffering from major depression run a higher relative risk of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis compared with the general population.In general, depressed individuals exhibit a less active life-style and have a reduced cardio-respiratory fitness in comparison with the general population.Strong evidence demonstrates that lack of physical activity is associated with an unhealthier body mass and composition, and a biomarker risk profile for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.A growing body of evidence suggests that exercise is an effective treatment for depression.For mild to moderate depression the effect of exercise may be comparable to antidepressant medication and psychotherapy; for severe depression exercise seems to be a valuable complementary therapy to the traditional treatments.Exercise training not only improves depression, but also produces 'positive side effects' on depression associated physical diseases and cognitive decline.