Former Olympic swimming gold-medalist Ian Thorpe took up swimming because the doctors said it would help his asthma. The link between sports participation and physical health is well-proven, and becoming more apparent is how exercise can help treat mental illness.
Exercise can take many forms and needn’t be at an elite Olympic level to be worthwhile. Individual activities such as cycling, walking, swimming and jogging, or team sports such as basketball, netball and hockey all involve three main benefits to treatment of mental illness: fitness, distraction and increased self-esteem.
Dr Amanda Daley described in a paper for ‘Advances in Psychiatric Treatment’, recent studies involving schizophrenia out-patients engaged in a regular exercise program. After the program, the results were a ‘…trend of reduced depression, increased general well-being and improved aerobic fitness.’ (Daley, 2002). The benefits shown in another similar study revealed that an exercise program was able to ‘…reduce participants' perceptions of auditory hallucinations,raise self-esteem and improve sleep patterns and general behaviour.’ (Daley, 2002).
How does exercise help treat mental illness?
There are many theories as to how exercise affects a person’s mental illness. Some of these theories are difficult to prove for certain. Dr Daley outlines the main theories as follows:
Endorphin theory: You might have heard athletes after they’ve just finished a race talk abut ‘the rush’ they felt. Take for example the experiment of the running rats on a treadmill and later measurement of endorphins ( ‘happy’ brain chemicals) in opiate receptors of rat brain tissue. This means that rats love to exercise, but as you can imagine, measuring endorphins in humans is tricky (fancy a bit of brain sawing…?)
Heat and relaxation ‘Hyperthermic model’: The feeling of peace after a sauna or hot bath leading to a good night’s sleep is similar to the effects of exercise, which generates heat internally.
Distraction theory: Swimming superstar Michael Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) as a teenager, and found that swimming, as well as lacrosse and baseball, gave him a release for all his energy. From the perspective other mental illnesses, concentrating on getting a ball into a goal or trying to break a personal best, means there’s less room for negative thoughts to creep in, thus feeling less anxiety.
Other benefits of exercise to treating mental illness include:
· Improved Self-image
· Socialising with others
· Building Self-confidence
· Sense of achievement
From a community perspective, exercise is a more economical and freely available method of treatment than a reliance on exclusive cognitive behaviour therapy, or expensive drugs. However, as later discussed, exercise therapy should not replace these proven treatments—it is a support, like taking herbal supplements while on chemotherapy.
What is exercise therapy?
For exercise to be effective in the treatment of mental illness, it must be part of a program—not just a walk in the park every now and then.
Dr Daley recommends a structured exercise program to ensure that patients receive the full benefits without any danger. For example, patients such as those with eating disorders who have neither the psychological nor physical capacity to exercise, should not start off on 15km jogs. Exercise therapists should work under supervision of a mental health professional.
In general, any exercise therapy should be:
· Flexible
· Regular
· Varied
· Long-term
· Involving goal-setting
Be careful – exercise therapy considerations
Keeping up mental fitness is linked to getting the heart rate up and engaging the body in physical effort. But all that huff and puff is most beneficial when part of a professional exercise program, and used conjunction with counseling and medication (if required). Patient progress should be monitored, as there is a risk of obsession developing.
Even elite athletes of the Olympics with incredible physical fitness may have mental illness, such as gold-medalist swimmer Petria Thomas’ depression. The key to treating mental illness with exercise therapy is one of balance—so talk with a doctor to see whether it could help you, or someone you know.
To read more about Dr Daley’s investigation into Exercise treatment for mental illness, visit
Reference: Exercise therapy and mental health in clinical populations: is exercise therapy a worthwhile intervention? Advances in Psychiatric Treatment (2002) 8: 262-270