Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive effect on your mental health. In fact, a recent study found that running therapy had effects on depression and anxiety similar to those of antidepressants.
The scientific work, presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Barcelona in October 2023, found that an exercise program also led to more favorable physical outcomes – although the results indicated that sticking with regular activity is a challenge.
“We know that not treating depression at all results in poorer outcome,” says lead study author Brenda Penninx, Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry epidemiology at Vrije University in Amsterdam. “But this study shows that running therapy can reduce depressive symptoms, at least in some depressed people. The effects on mental health outcomes were similar to those seen in the group taking antidepressants.”
Dr. Penninx emphasizes that an exercise program should not replace medication, but rather be offered as an additional treatment option that is well supervised by trained staff.