TY - JOUR
T1 - Physical exercise in major depression
T2 - Reducing the mortality gap while improving clinical outcomes
AU - Murri, Martino Belvederi
AU - Ekkekakis, Panteleimon
AU - Magagnoli, Marco
AU - Zampogna, Domenico
AU - Cattedra, Simone
AU - Capobianco, Laura
AU - Serafini, Gianluca
AU - Calcagno, Pietro
AU - Zanetidou, Stamatula
AU - Amore, Mario
PY - 2019/1/1
Y1 - 2019/1/1
N2 - Major depression shortens life while the effectiveness of frontline treatments remains modest. Exercise has been shown to be effective both in reducing mortality and in treating symptoms of major depression, but it is still underutilized in clinical practice, possibly due to prevalent misperceptions. For instance, a common misperception is that exercise is beneficial for depression mostly because of its positive effects on the body (“from the neck down”), whereas its effectiveness in treating core features of depression (“from the neck up”) is underappreciated. Other long-held misperceptions are that patients suffering from depression will not engage in exercise even if physicians prescribe it, and that only vigorous exercise is effective. Lastly, a false assumption is that exercise may be more harmful than beneficial in old age, and therefore should only be recommended to younger patients. This narrative review summarizes relevant literature to address the aforementioned misperceptions and to provide practical recommendations for prescribing exercise to individuals with major depression.
AB - Major depression shortens life while the effectiveness of frontline treatments remains modest. Exercise has been shown to be effective both in reducing mortality and in treating symptoms of major depression, but it is still underutilized in clinical practice, possibly due to prevalent misperceptions. For instance, a common misperception is that exercise is beneficial for depression mostly because of its positive effects on the body (“from the neck down”), whereas its effectiveness in treating core features of depression (“from the neck up”) is underappreciated. Other long-held misperceptions are that patients suffering from depression will not engage in exercise even if physicians prescribe it, and that only vigorous exercise is effective. Lastly, a false assumption is that exercise may be more harmful than beneficial in old age, and therefore should only be recommended to younger patients. This narrative review summarizes relevant literature to address the aforementioned misperceptions and to provide practical recommendations for prescribing exercise to individuals with major depression.
KW - Cardiovascular disease
KW - Depression
KW - Efficacy
KW - Exercise
KW - Mortality
KW - Physical activity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063216006&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00762
DO - 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00762
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85063216006
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Psychiatry
JF - Frontiers in Psychiatry
SN - 1664-0640
M1 - 762
ER -