Researchers at Vrije University (Amsterdam) have compared the effects of antidepressants with those of a group running cycle twice a week for 16 weeks on mental health and have concluded that both interventions help combat depression to approximately the same extent but running-based therapy has added fitness benefits.
Now, just because they are equally effective in improving depression and anxiety does not mean that they are equally effective. The dropout rate was much higher in the group that chose exercise, indicating that people find it easier to take pills than to change habits.
Professor of Psychiatry Brenda Penninx, who presented the results of this work at the congress of the European College of Nueropsychopharmacology (ECNP) held a few days ago in Barcelona, explained that "antidepressants are generally safe and effective; they work for most people and we know that not treating depression at all leads to worse outcomes; however, we need to expand our treatment arsenal as not all patients respond to antidepressants or are willing to take them, and our results suggest that implementing exercise therapy is something we should take much more seriously as it could be a good (and maybe even better) option for some patients."
Francesc Colom, psychologist and coordinator of the mental health research group at IMIM Hospital del Mar, and Amanda Rodríguez, psychiatrist at Vall d'Hebron hospital and VHIR researcher and expert in depression, believe that the Penninx study is reductionist because it contrasts the effects from antidepressants to physical exercise.
“That approach is pretty outdated; There is already enough evidence about the benefits of physical exercise in the remission of depressive symptoms, but the groups that work in this area do not propose it as a treatment of choice but rather as a joint one, seeking synergy between all the treatments that we have at our disposal: pharmacological, psychotherapy, physical exercise, motivation...”, explains Colom.
Rodríguez, for his part, remembers that running can be effective in combating depression "but it will hardly be effective because few patients with moderate or severe depression are going to go running several times a week," since they tend to suffer from apathy and It is difficult to leave the house, and many do not have the age, physical or health conditions to start jogging.
In this sense, Colom emphasizes that, in addition to being comprehensive, the approach to depression must be personalized. “Depression is often accompanied by obesity or other pathologies, so the characteristics and limitations of each person must be evaluated to prescribe the physical exercise from which each person can get the most benefit,” he comments.
And he explains that this is what they have done during the last four years at the IMIM through the IDEA study (impact on depression with exercise and activation) and in collaboration with the specialists in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Hospital del Mar.
“We have used individualized exercise prescription as a complement, not as a substitute for pharmacological treatment, and we have compared the results with the usual treatment; The conclusion is that the results are optimized,” summarizes the coordinator of the IMIM Mental Health group.
It states that they have observed improvement in the patients' functionality, in their ability to resume their work and daily activities, and also cognitive benefits, although they are still measuring the magnitude of these improvements compared to those who did not incorporate exercise into their treatment. .
The participants in the IDEA study were “prescribed” both aerobic and anaerobic exercises, strength, elasticity and resistance, but all easy to do at home and with very basic elements, such as an elastic band and a mat. And they previously participated in six sessions with a psychologist and a physiotherapist to work on motivation and learn exercises tailored to each of them.
