Exercise Prescription

Primer

Exercise and Psychiatric Disorders

Antidepressants alone do not adequately treat many patients with depression. Combining antidepressants with lifestyle changes, such as exercise is supported by well-designed studies.[1] For patients with major depression, substance use disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder, exercise interventions were associated with large, significant improvements in patient-rated sleep quality.[2][3]

Exercise Prescription

Physical activity should be prescribed for all patients with anxiety, affective, eating, and substance use disorders, as well as schizophrenia and dementia/mild cognitive impairment. Scheduled physical activity can induce improvements in physical, subjective and disorder-specific clinical outcomes.[4]

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References

1) Sidhu, Kanwaldeep S., Pankhuree Vandana, and Richard Balon. "Exercise prescription: A practical, effective therapy for depression." Current Psychiatry 8.6 (2009): 38. APA
2) Lederman, O., Ward, P. B., Firth, J., Maloney, C., Carney, R., Vancampfort, D., ... & Rosenbaum, S. (2018). Does exercise improve sleep quality in individuals with mental illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Psychiatric Research.
3) Gordon, B. R., McDowell, C. P., Hallgren, M., Meyer, J. D., Lyons, M., & Herring, M. P. (2018). Association of Efficacy of Resistance Exercise Training With Depressive Symptoms: Meta-analysis and Meta-regression Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. JAMA psychiatry, 75(6), 566-576.
4) Zschucke E, Gaudlitz K, Ströhle A. Exercise and Physical Activity in Mental Disorders: Clinical and Experimental Evidence. Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health. 2013;46(Suppl 1):S12-S21.