Fascinating new study from The Netherlands, and published in The Journal of Affective Disorders.
Here’s the upshot.
Two similar groups (age, sex, socioeconomic status etc) were given the choice of participating in either aerobic exercise like running OR simply taking an antidepressant to treat their depression.
In other words, you couldn’t pick both.
So — Depressed You gets to pick aerobic only vs. antidepressant only for depression treatment.
The researchers studied the effects of the modalities for 16 weeks, and then compared results.
The effects on mental health were nearly identical.
In the running group, 43% experienced a dramatic drop in symptoms of depression, while in the antidepressant group, that number was 45%.
So basically, a good wash.
In addition, the running group experienced superior physical effects, as well, while suffering no adverse events.
Slam dunk for exercise, no? Just as therapeutic, right, and boosts your physical health, to boot.
Well, hold on.
Here’s the big catch.
Those in the antidepressant group were far more likely to actually follow through on the treatment protocol than those in the exercise group.
Only half of the running group continued for the full 16 weeks, while 82% in the antidepressant group continued taking their pills.
Why is this important?
It means depressed people are much less likely to follow through on running therapy than a medicinal regimen.
That makes sense.
If you’ve never been depressed, you’d probably say, “Well, come on. Just get up and run! Do it!”
If you’ve been depressed, you know how enormously hard it can be (verging on feeling impossible) to even get up to brush your teeth — let alone run.
This isn’t to bash running.
It’s tremendous for your mental and physical health.
It’s just to say that, as a treatment modality, in exclusion of others, you’re likely to get less adherence and end up with fewer individuals who find relief.
Nevertheless, it does seem that running therapy might offer a better first-line than antidepressants, but as always, talk to your doctor. He or she will know what’s best for you.
Some depression is so severe that even walking is hard.
I’ve been in places where my depression is simply too troubling to run, and also in places where my depression is manageable enough that I can exercise and experience a reduction in symptoms.
It’s a very personal experience, and best navigated with the help of a psychiatrist and therapist.
So, on that note.
Find a psychiatrist here.
Find a therapist here.
[Painting: Rather on the nose for the post, but The Running Man, Malevich]
