Effects of Exercise on Mental Health Aarun Devgan '23

Effects of Exercise on Mental Health

BY AARUN DEVGAN ’23

Cover Image: Man going on an early morning jog. Image Source: Pixabay Introduction

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. Effects of Exercise on Depression

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

intervention group engaged in 3 30-minute walks a week for 6 weeks. The results show a reduction of somatic symptoms of depression quantified as 2.4 compared to a 0.9 reduction in the social support group, and a 0.4 reduction in the control group (McNeil, 1991). Other research has shown the long-term benefits of exercise on mental health. After twelve weeks of fitness training, depressed adults deceived a BDI reduction of 5.1 compared to the control BDI reduction of 0.9 (McNeil, 1991). The participants retained these benefits throughout a 12 month follow up period.

Comparing of the Benefits of Exercise with the Benefits of Therapy and Medication

Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of exercise and therapy on mental health individually. However, it is important to compare these two methods and if increased benefits are experienced when used together. Participants in this study were randomly assigned to a running group only, a therapy group only, or a running and therapy group. The treatment lasted for 10 weeks with the exercise group consisting of 20-minute sessions 3 times a week and the therapy aspect lasting 60 minutes once a week. There was no significant difference between the groups, but they all experienced significant reduction in symptoms of depression (Craft, 2004).

Additionally, the beneficial effects of exercise on one’s mental health have also been studied in comparison to the effects of medication. Blumenthal and colleagues randomly assigned 156 moderately depressed men and women to an exercise only group, a medication only group, and an exercise and medication group (Blumenthal, 1999). The exercise group walked on a treadmill for 30 minutes at 70-85% of their maximum heart rate 3 times a week for 16 weeks. Those in the medication group received sertraline where the dosage was monitored by a psychiatrist at 2, 6, 10, and 14 weeks. Participants in both the exercise

Figure 1: Man doing weighted exercises.

Source: Pixabay

Figure 2: Man receiving therapy from a professional. Source: Pixabay

"After twelve weeks of fitness training, depressed adults deceived a BDI reduction of 5.1 compared to the control BDI reduction of 0.9"

Figure 3: Group cardio class. Image Source: Pixabay

"However, an important difference is that 10 months of regular exercise led to significantly lower rates of depression compared to 10 months of medication"

and medication category simply received both treatments mentioned above. The results conclude that there is no significant difference between any of the 3 groups in the study (Blumenthal, 1999). They were all similarly effective in reducing the effects of depression. It is important to note that the medication works faster at first to reduce symptoms. However, an important difference is that 10 months of regular exercise led to significantly lower rates of depression compared to 10 months of medication (Blumenthal, 1999). Thus, while at first medication may result in quicker results, the better long-term option is consistent exercise.

Cardio vs. Weight Training for Mental Health Benefits

Most studies that have investigated the effects of exercise on one’s mental health employ aerobic exercises such as walking or jogging. However, it is important to consider the benefits of nonaerobic exercises such as resistance and weight training. Doyne and colleagues did just that as she compared the efficacy of running versus weightlifting for improvement of mental health and a decrease in the symptoms of depression. Her study involved 40 depressed women who were randomly assigned to either running, weightlifting, or a wait-list control group. The study was an 8-week program with 4 training sessions per week for both the running and weightlifting group. Measurements of depression were taken at the mid-way, end of treatment, and 1, 7, and 12 months afterwards. The results of the study indicate that there is no significant difference in the beneficial effects for running vs weightlifting. They both significantly reduced the symptoms of depression in the participants (Doyne, 1983). Ultimately, the decision to do aerobic vs anerobic exercises should lie in the personal preference of the patient and suggestions from their primary care provider.

Effects of Exercise on Stress and Anxiety

Aerobic exercise is very important for one’s mind. It can help to relieve tension and improve one’s mood. It can help to relax and exhilarate, and it can also help people manage stress. It is also used to treat depression and anxiety disorders. Aerobic exercise helps reduce stress hormones and boost the production of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers. Your body's response to exercise can also improve your self-image. It can help you feel powerful and confident. Sports and exercise can also help you get away from daily stress associated with school or work and allow you to find a new passion (Harvard Health, 2020).

Conclusion

Through various studies, it has clearly been established that exercise is the most beneficial treatment to mental health. Additionally, it can be combined with therapy or medication for added benefits without any additional risks. The problem lies in the fact that despite the immense benefits, prescribing a structured exercise plan is often overlooked by doctors. These problems become more prominent across certain aspects of the population as there is often a lack of mental health and exercise resources for those people

with lower socioeconomic statuses. They often look at mental health as not a real or urgent health problem and thus can not reason spending money to see a specialist to get help. Additionally, gym memberships have a fee that people with lower socioeconomic statuses often cannot justify. Furthermore, lack of wealth can make it harder for people to be physically fit due to the stress of living paycheck to paycheck and often eating fast food, as it is cheap (Drewnoski). It is important that doctors emphasize the benefits of exercise on mental health, especially to the lower socioeconomic class and encourage them to go for walks or runs outside – where a gym membership is not needed.

References

2021 State of Mental Health in America. Mental Health America. (n.d.). https://www.mhanational.org/researchreports/2021-state-mental-health-america.

Blumenthal, J. A., Babyak, M. A., Moore, K. A., Craighead, W. E., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Waugh, R., Napolitano, M. A., Forman, L. M., Appelbaum, M., Doraiswamy, P. M., & Krishnan, K. R. (1999). Effects of exercise training on older patients with major depression. Archives of internal medicine, 159(19), 2349–2356. https://doi.org/10.1001/ archinte.159.19.2349

Craft, L. L., & Perna, F. M. (2004). The Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 6(3), 104–111. https://doi. org/10.4088/pcc.v06n0301

Doyne EJ, Chambless DL, Beutler LE. Aerobic exercise as a treatment for depression in women. Behav Ther. 1983;14:434–440

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McNeil, J. K., LeBlanc, E. M., & Joyner, M. (1991). The effect of exercise on depressive symptoms in the moderately depressed elderly. Psychology and aging, 6(3), 487–488. https://doi. org/10.1037//0882-7974.6.3.487

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