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Physical Activity & Mental Health

September 22, 2020

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The present summary looks at support provided for the benefits of exercise in regards to both
physical and mental health issues. It aims to examine how effective exercise is as a way of
prevention and treatment for all physical and mental ailments.

Exercise can act to alleviate symptoms of mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety and
enhance the cognitive and physical functioning in health in individuals with psychotic disorders,
for e.g. schizophrenia.

A strong parallel is drawn between physical activity and mental wellness, which can be seen in
cross-sectional research that indicate regular physical activity is associated with better mental
wellbeing and emotional consistency (Galper, Trivedi, Barlow, Dunn & Kampert, 2006), along
with decreased rates of mental disorders (Goodwin, 2003). Findings from longitudinal studies
have also supported a link relating to physical exercise and lower chances of developing a mental
disorder (ten Have, de Graaf & Monshouwer, 2011).

For e.g. a population based research of 7076 Dutch adults came upon the discovery that actively
engaging in physical activity significantly decreased the risks of developing a mood or anxiety
disorder across the duration of the 3-year follow up-period; even when controlling for
sociodemographic characteristics and physical sicknesses (ten Have, de Graaf & Monshouwer,
2011).

Moreover, it is assessed that one of the primary cause and/or the outcome of poor mental health,
and there may be mutually shared factors (for instance coinciding genetic vulnerabilities) that
forecast both (De Moor, Boomsma, Stubbe, Willemsen & de Geus, 2008).

Corresponding with the association between physical exercise and mental wellness, is that
people with mental disorders carry a higher vulnerability to chronic physical illnesses, such as
heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and asthma (Teesson, Mitchell, Deady, Memedovic, Slade &
Baillie, 2011; von Hausswolff‐Juhlin, Bjartveit, Lindström & Jones, 2009).

Investigation has been carried out in the capacity of exercise to boost the results of mental health
in a range of mental disorders. On that account, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College
of Psychiatrists suggests that exercise may harmoniously complement other treatments and be
availed as a stress coping strategy to advance recovery, benefit in the prevention of recurrences,
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manage the side effects of certain medications, and to upgrade lifestyle practices and overall
health wellness (Australian, 2005).

In addition, exercise has been seen to be moderately successful at alleviating depressive

symptoms in people with a chronic physical illness (for instance, cardiovascular disease and
chronic pain) (Herring, Puetz, O’Connor & Dishman, 2012). Yet, exercise persists in being
suggested as a treatment for depression disorder.

In consequence, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom
recommends that a formal group exercise plan should be considered as the beginning step in
treating and managing individuals with persistent ‘subthreshold’ depressive symptoms or minor
to moderate depression (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (Great Britain),
National Institute for Health, Clinical Excellence (Great Britain), British Psychological Society,
& Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011). Exercise is also regarded quite highly by people having
experienced depression themselves (Parker & Crawford, 2007).

Furthermore, exercise programs can help enhance specific kinds of mental health symptoms
(such as, blunted emotions, loss of drive, difficulties in thinking) according to research on adults
with schizophrenia, but less effective for other symptoms (e.g. delusions and hallucinations)
(Gorczynski & Faulkner, 2010). Exercise programs may also act to improve additional
psychological consequences, for e.g. social ability, self-esteem, and stable well-being (Holley,
Crone, Tyson & Lovell, 2011).

Physical activity is of great significance to enhance the physiological health of individuals with
severe mental illnesses (such as schizophrenia), as these people pass away 16-20 years earlier
than the general population, with this distinction in mortality gap increasing in recent spans of
time (Saha, Chant & McGrath, 2007).

Likewise, on account of the advantages of active exercise on weight control, studies have raised
their focus on interventions seeking to increase physical exercise as a supplement therapy for the
schizophrenic individual population (Ellis, Crone, Davey & Grogan, 2007; Gorczynski &
Faulkner, 2010). Most research has assessed structured, supervised exercise interventions, which
range from 4 to 16 weeks, predominantly involving aerobic exercise (i.e. walking, bicycling,
swimming) (Ellis, Crone, Davey & Grogan, 2007; Gorczynski & Faulkner, 2010). These
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findings demonstrate that rehabilitation exercise is well-received and related to better physical
health (Beebe, Tian, Morris, Goodwin, Allen & Kuldau, 2005; Ellis, Crone, Davey & Grogan,
2007; Gorczynski & Faulkner, 2010).

Both aerobic and resistant exercise were also seen to be effective for managing mental disorders,
as for individuals with severe mental problems current instructions on physical activity and
exercise recommendations (30 minutes of daily moderate physical activity) seemed to be
practicable (Gorczynski & Faulkner, 2010). Amongst studies that have proven useful for
alleviating depression, the most common bounds were sessions that extended at least 30 minutes
with an intensity of 60-80% of maximum heart rate three times a week (Perraton, Kumar &
Machotka, 2010). Exercise strategies which complied with the American public health guidelines
for moderate or physical activity were more successful for depressive symptoms in chronic
patients, than those which were ineffective.

In conclusion, exercise plays a crucial role in benefiting physical and mental health, for the
aversion and treatment of various mental disorders. It is through adaptation of exercise programs
to accommodate individual circumstances and preferences, and to minimize barriers to utilize
medications, that physical activity can continue to help in alleviation of mental health problems
and a stable healthy lifestyle.
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References

Australian, R. (2005). Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists clinical
practice guidelines for the treatment of schizophrenia and related disorders. The
Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry, 39(1-2), 1-30.

Beebe, L. H., Tian, L., Morris, N., Goodwin, A., Allen, S. S., & Kuldau, J. (2005). Effects of
exercise on mental and physical health parameters of persons with schizophrenia. Issues
in mental health nursing, 26(6), 661-676.

Ellis, N., Crone, D., Davey, R., & Grogan, S. (2007). Exercise interventions as an adjunct
therapy for psychosis: a critical review. British journal of clinical psychology, 46(1), 95-
111.

De Moor, M. H., Boomsma, D. I., Stubbe, J. H., Willemsen, G., & de Geus, E. J. (2008). Testing
causality in the association between regular exercise and symptoms of anxiety and
depression. Archives of general psychiatry, 65(8), 897-905.

Galper, D. I., Trivedi, M. H., Barlow, C. E., Dunn, A. L., & Kampert, J. B. (2006). Inverse
association between physical inactivity and mental health in men and women. Medicine
& Science in Sports & Exercise, 38(1), 173-178.

Goodwin, R. D. (2003). Association between physical activity and mental disorders among
adults in the United States. Preventive medicine, 36(6), 698-703.

Gorczynski, P., & Faulkner, G. (2010). Exercise therapy for schizophrenia. Cochrane database
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Herring, M. P., Puetz, T. W., O’Connor, P. J., & Dishman, R. K. (2012). Effect of exercise
training on depressive symptoms among patients with a chronic illness: a systematic
review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Archives of Internal
Medicine, 172(2), 101-111.

Holley, J., Crone, D., Tyson, P., & Lovell, G. (2011). The effects of physical activity on
psychological well‐being for those with schizophrenia: A systematic review. British
journal of clinical psychology, 50(1), 84-105.
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National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (Great Britain), National Institute for Health,
Clinical Excellence (Great Britain), British Psychological Society, & Royal College of
Psychiatrists. (2011). Common mental health disorders: identification and pathways to
care (Vol. 123). RCPsych Publications.

Parker, G., & Crawford, J. (2007). Judged effectiveness of differing antidepressant strategies by
those with clinical depression. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(1),
32-37.

Perraton, L. G., Kumar, S., & Machotka, Z. (2010). Exercise parameters in the treatment of
clinical depression: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Journal of
evaluation in clinical practice, 16(3), 597-604.

Saha, S., Chant, D., & McGrath, J. (2007). A systematic review of mortality in schizophrenia: is
the differential mortality gap worsening over time?. Archives of general
psychiatry, 64(10), 1123-1131.

Teesson, M., Mitchell, P. B., Deady, M., Memedovic, S., Slade, T., & Baillie, A. (2011).
Affective and anxiety disorders and their relationship with chronic physical conditions in
Australia: findings of the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 45(11), 939-946.

ten Have, M., de Graaf, R., & Monshouwer, K. (2011). Physical exercise in adults and mental
health status: findings from the Netherlands mental health survey and incidence study
(NEMESIS). Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 71(5), 342-348.

von Hausswolff‐Juhlin, Y., Bjartveit, M., Lindström, E., & Jones, P. (2009). Schizophrenia and
physical health problems. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 119, 15-21.