Can Exercise Improve Mental Health?

For many people dealing with depression and anxiety, exercise might might not seem like the easiest of treatments. Exercise can make a difference in that far outlast that of most prescription medications.

Statistical data reveal that 25% of adult Americans have a mental illness, and more than half of the U.S. population will develop a mental illness at some point during their lifetime (CDC; APA). "Major Depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability for ages 15-44. Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year” while anxiety disorder affects …40 million…adults ages 18 and older…” (NIMH; APA). Comparatively, cardiovascular, diabetes, epilepsy, obesity, cancer, and asthma, and other chronic diseases are surfacing with increased frequency among the mentally ill (CDC; APA). The aforementioned finding elicits question about medical

Our progress in learning the causes and treatments for mental illness has been steady as we build on the medical model of mental illness, which Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman (2010) describe as a model that, “views emotional and behavioral problems as a mental illness, comparable to a physical illness (pp. 341). Only in modern times have we been able to effectively treat mental illness with behavioral therapy, social support, medicine, and other research-based programs. However, there is still much work to be done in regard to access, proper facilities, policy and a host of other challenges that affect this issue.

There a series of psychological benefits aligned with physical activity, benefits such as stress management, reduced depression and developed self-esteem are all aligned with exercise.

The medical model of treatment is an objective assessment and outcome-driven approach to recovery. This method recognizes mental illness as a disease, caused by an underlying physical condition. According to Beecher (2009), this physical element may be attributed to a disorder of the brain or central nervous system. Providers diagnose mental illness utilizing standardized classification systems, such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), after assessing the patient’s symptoms. The management of these symptoms remains the primary focus of recovery efforts. Pharmaceutical medications and psychiatric medical care are the most commonly prescribed treatment option in the medical model (Beecher, 2009).

In today’s society, quickly turning to the use of prescription drugs and/or psychotropic medications to help individuals who are struggling with their mental health conditions is an unfortunate act society continues to demonstrate. Unfortunately, most of society view prescription drugs and/or psychotropic medications (Anti-depressants, Antipsychotics, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications) as the quote-on-quote magical solutions to cure immediately individuals’ mental health conditions. In my own words, “Here is the magic pill or pills to immediately cure your mental health condition or conditions! There is no need for you to return to the doctor’s office to help address your mental health conditions in the future.” However, the quote-on-quote magic pill to cure individuals’ mental health conditions should not be the final solution.

In 2012, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported an estimated 9.6 million adults in the United States had a Serious Mental Illness. Of this 4% of the population, 4.9% were female, 3.2% male. Race varies greatly with about 8.5% of the population being American Indian/Alaska native. Hispanics, whites, and those identifying as two or more races make up about 4.3% each. Black is 3.4%, Asian 2%, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander is 1.8% (Serious Mental Illness (SMI), 2012.). Of the individuals that have a mental illness, not all experience disparity in treatment access..

The mental health care needs of many children and adults have been overlooked for quite some time. Nearly one in five adults experience a mental health issue at some point throughout their lives, yet due to the challenges in accessing and obtaining affordable health care, many have gone without adequate treatment (Mental health by the numbers, 2015). According to SAMSHA (2013), 2/3 of America’s 45 million adults suffering from mental illnesses, and 90% of our country’s 21 million adults struggling with substance use disorders go without treatment each year (SAMSHA, 2013).

Those in the intervention group reported a higher satisfaction in their quality of life than those in the control group. Physical health benefits such as an increase of VO2max and minutes engaged in physical activity. Overall, the results suggest that exercise can potentially be used to increase the quality of life, physical fitness level, and improve mental state.

Since 1990s, many scientists agree that exercise has positive impacts on people’s physical health and mental health (SIME WE, 1987). From Morgan and O’Connor’s research, people can reduce stress and state anxiety by doing physical activities; also gain emotional pleasure from the process (Morgan and O’Connor, 1988). Later in 1997, Landers states that physical activities can reduce people depression after weeks of regular and routine exercise. In addition, people can benefit from more

James et al. (2007) noticed exercise has showed similar effect like antidepressant medication in reducing symptoms of depression in over 156 older MDD patients in his research study. They used graded treadmill exercise testing to check the fitness levels of all the patients before treatment . Researchers compared the effect of exercise on the symptoms of patient’s depression by involving participants in 4 groups .One group is under supervision and the other group involved in a home based program. The other two groups were under antidepressant medications Both exercise groups participated in 30minutes aerobic session such as walking or jogging on a treadmill including 10mins warm up at the beginning and 5 mins cool down at the end. james also mentioned that all the participants were monitored 3 times during their exercise session by checking their heart rates manually via radial pulses, along with ratings of perceived exertion and the home-based exercise group have been followed up by an exerxise physiologist monthly and taking feedback via phone calls every week in the first month and therafter

Regular exercise has many benefits Exercise also helps to protect against depression, and helps you better manage stress.

Throughout the centuries mental illness has been treated by countless treatments. Modern treatments have created an argument over which treatment options are best. the most debates treatments today are medication and therapy. the argument of medication versus therapy as treatments for mental illness is fairly new. Yet, proponents of both sides have strong arguments stating the advantages of their treatment option. proponents of medication believe pharmacogenetics, tailored treatments, and medication's ability to treat severe disorders makes medication the better treatment option. proponents of therapy believe drug addiction, suicide prevention, and need adaption establishes therapy as the better treatment choice.

Some hypothesize that moderate levels of exercise will decrease the symptoms of mental health conditions (Blumenthal et al., 2007; Diaz & Motta, 2008; Motta, Kuligowski, & Marino, 2010; Rosenbaum, Nguyen, Lenehan, Tiedemann, van der Ploeg, & Sherrington, 2011) and therefore be used as an alternative or complimentary treatment option for mental health (Libby, Pilver, & Desai, 2012).

Exercise may be one of the most important influences on your overall health to date. While the only benefits that are mainly focused on are the physical benefits, significant psychological impacts can also be linked to exercise. Although some of these benefits aren’t viewed with much enthusiasm, studies have proven that exercise can actually improve one’s quality of life greatly by increasing not only their physical health but their mental health as well. It is because of this that exercise is a