Mental health is increasingly coming to the forefront, as we come to understand that it isn't limited to extreme psychiatric conditions, but includes symptoms that a significant proportion of people face, such as anxiety and depression.
As depressive symptoms rise among the population, so do the scientific community's efforts to identify therapeutic paths that can address them.
A new study, presented at the ECNP conference in Barcelona and published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, compared two entirely different methods to determine their antidepressant effect: medication and running.
As part of the research, the study's authors, led by Professor Brenda Penninx of Vrije University, examined 141 patients with depression and/or anxiety. Each participant was given the option to choose treatment between medication or a series of running sessions.
Of these, 45 chose to take antidepressants for 16 weeks, and 96 chose running for a period longer than 16 weeks. "This study gave people a choice, medication or exercise. It's interesting that the majority chose exercise," commented Dr Penninx. The medication treatment required patients to follow their prescribed dosage, which didn't appear to significantly affect their daily behaviours. On the other hand, participants who chose exercise were asked to attend 2 to 3 closely supervised group sessions of 45 minutes per week. The researchers noted that members of the medication group were slightly more depressed than members of the running group.
By the end of the study period, roughly 44% of both groups showed a reduction in depressive symptoms and anxiety, demonstrating that both methods can be effective.
The running group also showed improvement in body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and heart function, in contrast to the medication group, whose participants showed a tendency toward slight worsening in these metabolic markers.
On the other hand, the adherence rate was significantly lower in the running group (52%) compared to the group taking antidepressants (82%).
"It's important to say there's room for both treatments in caring for depression. Antidepressants are generally safe and effective. They work for most people. We know that untreated depression leads to worse outcomes, so antidepressants are generally a good option. However, we need to expand our therapeutic arsenal, since not everyone responds to antidepressants or is willing to take them," concludes Dr Penninx.
"The study shows that many people like the idea of exercise, but struggle to maintain the habit, even though the benefits are significant: exercise directly addresses the sedentary lifestyle often found in patients with depressive and anxiety disorders, encouraging people to get outside, set personal goals, improve their physical condition, and take part in a group activity."
Dr Eric Ruhé of the Amsterdam University Medical Centers commented: "These are very interesting results, which again show that physical health can affect mental health, and that treatment of depression and anxiety can be achieved through exercise, without the adverse effects of antidepressant medication."
Dimitris Drivakos