Effects of Exercise on Mental Health BY AARUN DEVGAN ’23 Cover Image: Man going on an early morning jog. Image Source: Pixabay
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Introduction
Effects of Exercise on Depression
Simply put, the current status of mental health in America is quite poor. According to Mental Health America’s 2021 report “The State of Mental Health in America,” youth and adult mental health is declining and there is still an unmet need for mental health treatment. The statistical measures used in the report show a clear trend of worsening mental health in the United States over the last twenty years. Over the 5-year span from 2012 to 2017, the prevalence of a Major Depressive Episode (MDE) has increased from 8.66% to 13.01% among children ages 1217 (Mental Health America, 2021). Additionally, while the prevalence of mental health issues in adults has remained constant, however suicide and suicidal thoughts are increasing. Mental Health America’s report explains that suicidal ideation has increased from 3.77% to 4.19% over the study’s 5-year span. Among that group, young adults ages 18-25 experienced the highest rates of suicide ideation. The worsening status of mental health in America is a pressing issue that must be combatted from all sides. An often-overlooked method in the fight against worsening mental health is the effects of exercise, which have surprisingly positive effects on mental health.
Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States, causing an estimated $40 billion due to the associated with the loss of work productivity and medical treatment (Murray, 1996). Most people who suffer from depression look towards their primary care physician for help. However, primary care physicians often prescribe medications without considering nonpharmacologic methods for fighting depression. Research shows that exercise is directly correlated to the treatment of clinical depression. Additionally, clinically depressed patients are often less physically fit than 80-90% of age predicted normality (Craft, 2004). For both reasons, it is crucial to inform both primary care physicians and depressed patients about the significant benefits exercise can have on their quality of life. Many studies have demonstrated that exercise reduces symptoms of depression. One that is quite notable is a study involving 30 moderately depressed men and women who were assigned randomly to one of 3 groups: an exercise intervention group, a social support group, and a control group (McNeil, 1991). The exercise DARTMOUTH UNDERGRADUATE JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
