Our research shows that exercise is 1.5 times more effective than counselling or medications

UniSA researchers say exercise is needed as a mainstay approach for managing depression and anxiety, following a UniSA review.

According to the World Health Organization, one in every eight people worldwide (970 million people) live with a mental disorder. Poor mental health costs the world economy approximately $2.5 trillion each year, a cost projected to rise to $6 trillion by 2030. In Australia, an estimated one in five people (aged 16–85) have experienced a mental disorder in the past 12 months. It’s an expensive and sometimes devasting problem.

Published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the UniSA review is the most comprehensive to date, encompassing 97 reviews, 1039 trials and 128,119 participants. It shows that physical activity is extremely beneficial for improving symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress.

Specifically, the review showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, highlighting the speed at which physical activity can make a change.

Lead UniSA researcher, Dr Ben Singh, says that most exercise, regardless of what it is, can make a positive change to your mental health.

“We found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga,” Dr Singh says.

“We’re confident that if physical activity interventions were adopted, we would see a definite positive impact on symptoms of depression, anxiety and distress.”

Senior researcher, UniSA’s Prof Carol Maher said, “We hope this review will underscore the need for physical activity, including structured exercise interventions, as a mainstay approach for managing depression and anxiety.”

Video: Mental health benefits of exercise revealed in new Australian study