Is Exercise Better Than Medicine For Depression?
Why the evidence doesn’t hold up very well when it comes to exercise and depression
Depression is one of the biggest health issues in society today. It’s hard to know for sure how many people experience depression, but current best estimates put it at about 1 in 10 people experiencing symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder every year, and a scarily high 1 in 5 people experiencing depression at least once in their lifetime.
From personal experience, I can say with some certainty that depression sucks.
On top of that, treatments for depression are notoriously problematic. The most common drugs prescribed to treat the condition, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have uncomfortable side-effects which cause many people to stop taking them over time. For many people with depression, effective treatment can be a serious struggle.
But according to recent headlines, there’s hope! It seems that scientists have shown that exercise — simple physical workouts — is a more effective treatment for depression than medicines. According to some news stories…
