An Active Mind - Aerobic Exercise in the treatment of Depression, a FactSheet for Health Professionals.

An Active Mind

Exercise as a treatment for depression

(A Factsheet for Health Professionals)

BACKGROUND

Depression is a leading cause of disability adjusted life years in Australian adults. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/pubs/2010/pdf/chorep_summary_2010.pdf http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/1370.0~2010~Chapter~Burden%20of%20disease%20(4.1.6.4)

There are many different interventions available to treat depression. They are often used in a combination to alleviate or manage depression levels. Some interventions include pharmacotherapy, counseling, exercise, relaxation and lifestyle modifications. Research has shown that individuals, whom participate in moderate intensity aerobic exercise frequently, are less likely to have severe depression (Missing reference) and that frequent aerobic exercise sessions can be as equally effective as pharmacotherapy in decreasing depression levels (Blumenthal, 2007).

AEROBIC EXERCISE as a treatment for mental health

Type: Aerobic exercise. Examples: • Cycling • Swimming • Jogging • Dancing • Walking

Intensity and Duration of Exercise Session: Heart rate (HR) kept between 60 – 80% of maxHR for at least 30 minutes of the session.

Age-Predicted Max HR can be worked out by the following equation: 220 – Age = Age-predicted maxHR

Frequency: Psychological benefits are reported from three to five exercise sessions per week. Interventions using five aerobic exercise sessions per week have shown the greatest improvement in depression scores. (Legrand and Heuze, 2007)

Exercise Setting - At Home, At the Gym, Exercising alone, Group fitness classes.

There is currently inconclusive evidence as to the benefits of exercise setting on depression scores. Research has not shown significant differences between exercising in a group or individual setting (Legrand and Heuze, 2007), or between exercising at home or in a supervised setting i.e. at gym (Blumenthal, 2007). Varying exercise settings to suit patients is advised to enhance participant participation.

Important considerations

Decreased participation rates may be observed in depressed individuals due to symptoms of their disease. Some common symptoms of depression include:

• Fatigue • Lack of energy • Hopelessness • Psychomotor retardation

It is important to assist individuals and monitor their depression levels throughout exercise programmes to make sure the workload is manageable and helpful in managing the client’s mental illness.

Monitoring fitness gains and exercise performance may provide positive feedback and encourage further participation. (Meyer & Broocks, 2000).

FURTHER READINGS/INFORMATION SOURCES For more comprehensive information on depression please visit the following sites: 1. http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/index.cfm 2. http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=89

For more information on aerobic exercise and exercise please look at the following site: 1. http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=89.586&tmp=FileDownload&fid=328