Is Exercise Useful in Treating Depression?

Is Exercise Useful in Treating Depression?

The publication of a new study at BMJ on June 6 triggered many headlines showing that "exercise does not help depression". However, reducing the specific and detailed findings of this study to a media-friendly voice poses a risk of misleading people, because the researchers did not set out to test the effects of exercise on the depression.
 

. This article explains what researchers do and what they find, while showing that some of the older research in this area is experiencing increased scrutiny, and so there may be a need for a new wave of rigorous and specific studies. Meanwhile, there are many experts who support the idea that exercise can help patients with depression, especially if they have or are at high risk of developing other conditions such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes, which are often the cause.

What do researchers or scientists do ...?

The researchers wanted to find out whether adding specific physical activity interventions received by patients with depression through their general practitioner. In the UK, it would significantly reduce their depressive symptoms.

The intervention, called TREAD is based on theory, and provides trained facilitators who can provide "support and encouragement that are individually designed to engage in physical activity", the researchers wrote.

Such studies help health care providers to make decisions about what services are offered through primary services.

The researchers want to test TREAD because although there is evidence to suggest that exercise is beneficial for depressed people, most of it comes from a small, inaccurate study examining programs that might not be practically carried out by the National Health Service.

TREAD is designed to "improve long-term adherence to physical activity", and the main features encourage patients to choose their own activities and depend on their individual needs and what they can do in their own environment. Patients receive up to three face-to-face meetings with facilitators who are trained in motivational interview techniques, and they themselves can also have up to 10 telephone calls.

In the BMJ study the intervention lasts for 6 to 8 months with most of the facilitator's involvement being in the first four.

Participants were 361 adult patients aged 18-69 who were recently diagnosed with depression in several different health centers in the UK. They themselves were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one group received the usual care, and the other group received the usual care plus TREAD.

The trial was attended by participants for 12 months with steps taken at 4 months, 8 months and 12 months. For depressive symptoms, the key measure is Beck's depression inventory, and participants can also be asked about their use

antidepressant.

The training data comes from the diary that the participants completed about their own physical activity. A number of participants can also wear an accelerometer, and this data confirms that the diary is quite reliable and accurate.

Thus, the distinguishing feature of this study is that all patients are free to do the prescribed exercise but only a few are encouraged to do so.

Another distinguishing feature is that this study does not compare the effectiveness of exercise encouragement with other forms of treatment such as counseling and other treatments, but in addition to this.

Current government guidelines in the UK recommend that adults should do 150 minutes of moderate or strong physical activity per week, so the researchers explain in detail that:

"The aspiration is for the participants [in the TREAD group] to engage in moderate or excited activities for 150 minutes a week in a fight of at least 10 minutes, but if it seems unrealistic then the facilitator encourages any increase in physical activity, whatever happens. in intensity. "

What did they find?

The results showed that patients in the TREAD intervention group fared no better than those who only received usual care.

For example, there was no evidence that participants offered physical activity interventions that reported improved mood at a four-month follow-up point compared to those in their own group..