Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes

Murri, Martino Belvederi; Ekkekakis, Panteleimon; Magagnoli, M.; Zampogna, Domenico; Cattedra, Simone; Capobianco, Laura; Serafini, Gianluca; Calcagno, Pietro; Zanetidou, Stamatula; Amore, Mario

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00762

Cited by 126 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 170 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Suicide is the third most common cause of death in adolescents (2). In general, depression is associated with a shorter lifespan (32).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Depression In Children and Adolescentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Physical activity interventions have shown to be efficient not only to produce therapeutic benefits when implemented solely or as a part of a treatment for mental disorders, but also to prevent or delay the appearance of mental disorders (49). Additionally, physical exercise was found to be effective in treating symptoms and in reducing the mortality related to major depression (32). As this review discusses, meta-analyses on the depression-reducing effect of exercise in children and adolescents (50-53) so far suggest small to medium effects in this age group.…”

Section: Physical Exercise and Its Beneficial Impact On Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses: Exercise Effects on Depression in Children and Adolescents

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Depression is a common threat to children and adolescents in terms of affecting psychosocial development and increasing their risk of suicide. Apart from conventional treatments for depression, physical exercise has become a promising alternative. This paper aims to systematically review the existing meta-analyses that focus on the impact of physical exercise on clinical and nonclinical depression in children and adolescents. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, MedLine, PubMed, and hand searching. Risk of bias analysis, effect sizes calculations, and evaluation of the methodological characteristics (AMSTAR 2) were carried out. Results: Four meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. After analysing the overlap, the total sample contained 30 single studies (mostly including gender mixed samples) and 2,110 participants (age range 5-20 years). The medium duration of the interventions was 11.5 weeks. The sessions had a medium length of 41 min, and the frequency of implementation was three sessions per week. The most implemented intervention type was aerobic exercise, while control groups mainly continued with their regular routine, among other related options. The overall mean effect of physical exercise on depression was medium (d = −0.50). The additional analysis in clinically depressed samples documented a small to medium mean effect (d = −0.48) in favor of the intervention. Conclusion: The small to medium but consistently positive effects that were found in the present study place physical exercise as a promising and helpful alternative for children and adolescents with clinical and nonclinical depression. The limited literature focused on children and adolescents in comparison with adult samples points to the need for further research.

show abstract

“…Suicide is the third most common cause of death in adolescents (2). In general, depression is associated with a shorter lifespan (32).…”

Section: Characteristics Of Depression In Children and Adolescentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Physical Exercise and Its Beneficial Impact On Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses: Exercise Effects on Depression in Children and Adolescents

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise (AE) could represent a non-pharmacological strategy to improve the treatment of depression, decreasing, at the same time, the burden of somatic comorbidity of this pathology (Mura and Carta, 2013;Josefsson et al, 2014). Since the 1980s, several papers have reported on the beneficial effects played by exercise and physical activity in the treatment of depression, effects comparable to those of antidepressants (Martinsen et al, 1985;Babyak et al, 2000;Belvederi Murri et al, 2018;Lopez-Torres Hidalgo, 2019). This increased interest in this field has led to the proposal that physical exercise may serve as an alternative or integrative approach in combination with monoaminergic drugs for the treatment of MDD (Martinsen, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antidepressant Drugs and Physical Activity: A Possible Synergism in the Treatment of Major Depression?

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe mental illness that affects 5-20% of the general population. Current antidepressant drugs exert only a partial clinical efficacy because approximately 30% of depressed patients failed to respond to these drugs and antidepressants produce remission only in 30% of patients. This can be explained by the fact that the complex pathophysiology of depression has not been completely elucidated, and treatments have been mainly developed following the "monoaminergic hypothesis" of depression without considering the key role of other factors involved in the pathogenesis of MDD, such as the role of chronic stress and neuroinflammation. Chronic stress acts as a risk factor for the development of MDD through the impairment of neurotrophins signaling such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and transforming-growth-factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Stress-induced depressive pathology contributes to altered BDNF level and function in MDD patients and, thereby, an impairment of neuroplasticity at the regional and circuit level. Recent studies demonstrate that aerobic exercise strongly increases BDNF production and it may contribute as a non-pharmacological strategy to improve the treatment of cognitive and affective symptoms in MDD. Here we will provide a general overview on the possible synergism between physical activity and antidepressants in MDD. Physical activity can synergize with antidepressant treatment by rescuing neurotrophins signaling in MDD patients, promoting neuronal health and recovery of function in MDD-related circuits, finally enhancing pharmacotherapeutic response. This synergism might be particularly relevant in elderly patients with late-life depression, a clinical subgroup with an increased risk to develop dementia.

show abstract

“…9,12 More importantly, exercise can improve cardiorespiratory fitness, an independent predictor of all-cause mortality. 18 In Brazil, exercise prescription and supervision are roles usually associated with exercise professionals. 19 However, encouraging a healthier lifestyle is the duty of all mental health professionals (MHP) involved in patient care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exercise prescription for people with mental illness: an evaluation of mental health professionals’ knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and behaviors

Kleemann

Bracht

Stanton

et al. 2020

Braz. J. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to understand the knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and behaviors of mental health professionals about physical activity and exercise for people with mental illness. Methods: The Portuguese version of The Exercise in Mental Illness Questionnaire was used to assess knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and behaviors about exercise prescription for people with mental illness in a sample of 73 mental health professionals (68.5% women, mean age = 37.0 years) from 10 Psychosocial Care Units (Centros de Atenc¸ã o Psicossocial) in Porto Alegre and Canoas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Results: Most of respondents had received no formal training in exercise prescription. Exercise ranked fifth as the most important treatment, and most of the sample never or occasionally prescribed exercise. The most frequently reported barriers were lack of training in physical activity and exercise prescription and social stigma related to mental illness. Professionals who themselves met recommended physical activity levels found fewer barriers to prescribing physical activity and did so with greater frequency. Conclusion: Exercise is underrated and underused as a treatment. It is necessary to include physical activity and exercise training in mental health curricula. Physically active professionals are more likely to prescribe exercise and are less likely to encounter barriers to doing so. Interventions to increase physical activity levels among mental health professionals are necessary to decrease barriers to and increase the prescription of physical activity and exercise for mental health patients.

show abstract

Physical Exercise in Major Depression: Reducing the Mortality Gap While Improving Clinical Outcomes

Cited by 126 publications

References 170 publications

Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses: Exercise Effects on Depression in Children and Adolescents

Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses: Exercise Effects on Depression in Children and Adolescents

Antidepressant Drugs and Physical Activity: A Possible Synergism in the Treatment of Major Depression?

Exercise prescription for people with mental illness: an evaluation of mental health professionals’ knowledge, beliefs, barriers, and behaviors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About