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Depression – Improves mood

Improves mood

Evidence summary

High quality studies and reviews, including a Cochrane review9, support the improvement of scores on standardised depression outcome measures9-14.  Schuch et al evaluated the anti-depressant effects of exercise in older adults and found 8 RCTs which showed a significant benefit on depression (standardised mean difference = -0.90, and 95% Confidence Interval) measured with validated screening tools (e.g. Hamilton Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, etc.)10.  The same group published a meta-analysis including all adult patients with a major depressive disorder participating in RCTs.  The evidence revealed a significant improvement in depression with exercise (SMD -1.11, 95% CI 0.79 – 1.43)15.

Quality of evidence

High quality

Strength of recommendation

Strong

Conclusion

There is strong evidence that physical activity improves mood and scores on validated depression screening tools.

References

  1. Archer T, Josefsson T, Lindwall M. Effects of physical exercise on depressive symptoms and biomarkers in depression. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2014;13(10):1640-1653.
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  3. Reid KJ, Baron KG, Lu B, Naylor E, Wolfe L, Zee PC. Aerobic exercise improves self-reported sleep and quality of life in older adults with insomnia. Sleep Med. 2010;11(9):934-940.
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  5. Chalder M, Wiles NJ, Campbell J, et al. Facilitated physical activity as a treatment for depressed adults: randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2012;344:e2758.
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  8. Knapen J, Vancampfort D, Moriën Y, Marchal Y. Exercise therapy improves both mental and physical health in patients with major depression. Disabil Rehabil. 2015;37(16):1490-1495.
  9. Cooney GM, Dwan K, Greig CA, et al. Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013(9):CD004366.
  10. Schuch FB, Vancampfort D, Rosenbaum S, et al. Exercise for depression in older adults: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials adjusting for publication bias. Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 2016;38(3):247-254.
  11. de Souza Moura AM, Lamego MK, Paes F, et al. Comparison Among Aerobic Exercise and Other Types of Interventions to Treat Depression: A Systematic Review. CNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets. 2015;14(9):1171-1183.
  12. Nyström MB, Neely G, Hassmén P, Carlbring P. Treating Major Depression with Physical Activity: A Systematic Overview with Recommendations. Cogn Behav Ther. 2015;44(4):341-352.
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  14. Rosenbaum S, Tiedemann A, Sherrington C, Curtis J, Ward PB. Physical activity interventions for people with mental illness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014;75(9):964-974.
  15. Schuch FB, Vancampfort D, Richards J, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Stubbs B. Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis adjusting for publication bias. J Psychiatr Res. 2016;77:42-51.
  16. Schuch FB, Vancampfort D, Rosenbaum S, Richards J, Ward PB, Stubbs B. Exercise improves physical and psychological quality of life in people with depression: A meta-analysis including the evaluation of control group response. Psychiatry Res. 2016;241:47-54.
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  20. Yeh SH, Lin LW, Chuang YK, et al. Effects of music aerobic exercise on depression and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in community dwelling women. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:135893.
  21. Greer TL, Grannemann BD, Chansard M, Karim AI, Trivedi MH. Dose-dependent changes in cognitive function with exercise augmentation for major depression: results from the TREAD study. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2015;25(2):248-256.
  22. Krogh J, Saltin B, Gluud C, Nordentoft M. The DEMO trial: a randomized, parallel-group, observer-blinded clinical trial of strength versus aerobic versus relaxation training for patients with mild to moderate depression. J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;70(6):790-800.
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