Help sports. Exercise? 
Depression can manifest itself in a number of ways. Key features include a persistently depressed mood, lack of drive and joy, and a general lack of interest – even in hobbies and activities that were previously enjoyable. Various treatment and support options exist for people with depression. Important components of treatment are psychotherapy. Medication ( antidepressants ).
People with depression often lack drive and are therefore less physically active. Exercise and sport – for example, walking , jogging, cycling, swimming or hiking – are often recommended to relieve or prevent depressive symptoms. For many people who manage to exercise despite their symptoms, in addition to other treatments, the feeling of being able to do something about their disease themselves is important. Sports offer the opportunity to be active and also to get in touch with other people. In addition, exercise is thought to positively affect brain metabolism and thus depression.
Studies on sport and exercise in depression Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false). Many studies have demonstrated the benefits of exercise. Exercise for depression tested. They compared the effect of sport-. Exercise programs with other interventions for depression. Many of the studies examined jogging and walking, others cycling, gymnastics, and strength training. Most sports programs ran for 1 to 16 weeks.
Complaints decreased somewhat Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
The central question of the study was: Do depressive symptoms decrease in people who participate in sports and exercise programs?? The results of the studies showed: Sport and exercise have an effect, even if it is rather small. That is, people who participated in exercise programs had, on average, slightly fewer symptoms than those who did not participate or receive other treatment. However, the programs did not result in a significant decrease in complaints. In addition, many participants terminated the programs prematurely. This could be a sign that the exercise offered – usually jogging or walking – was not suitable for everyone.
There were hardly any studies comparing different exercise programs with each other. Therefore, it cannot be said whether the type, intensity, and frequency of physical activity makes a difference.
Sport and exercise cannot usually replace psychotherapy or antidepressants for moderate or severe depression. But they can be a useful adjunct. For mild depression, they are a good alternative for people who do not want to start treatment right away.
Some questions remain unanswered Information on $CMS_IF( ! tt_headline.isEmpty)$$CMS_VALUE(tt_headline.toText(false).convert2)$$CMS_END_IF$
The summary of the studies does not answer many questions: does sport have the same effect on mild, moderate, and severe depression – or are there differences? Are sport and exercise better in groups or as an individual activity? How long does the effect last?? Could it also sometimes be inappropriate to encourage someone to exercise more? Finally, it is almost impossible for people with major depression to be physically active. This is more likely to be successful in mild depression.
Cooney GM, Dwan K, Greig CA, Lawlor DA, Rimer J, Waugh FR et al. Exercise for depression . Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2013; (9): CD004366.
Kvam S, Kleppe CL, Nordhus IH, Hovland A. Exercise as a treatment for depression: A meta-analysis . J Affect Disord 2016; 202: 67-86.