Exercise and Mental Health Pt 1

It is the sad reality that each year 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental illness, yet there is still a poor understanding and acceptance of mental illness. Due to this, it often goes undiagnosed and either untreated or poorly treated. People living with a mental illness die much earlier than the rest of the population, mostly due to preventable cardiovascular disease.

Dying 15 to 20 years earlier means that life expectancy for people with mental illness is similar to that seen in the population at large in the 1950s. Mental illness can have an impact on a person’s cognitive, behavioural and social functioning. Those with a mental illness often struggle to engage in their regular work, social and physical activities to the full extent which further impacts the illness as social isolation then often occurs.

Mental illness includes a range of conditions including affective, anxiety, psychotic, personality, and substance related disorders. General Practitioners (GPs), alongside Psychologists and Psychiatrists, form part of a multidisciplinary care team aimed at improving the long-term mental health and well-being of patients. For full background information on mental health conditions please visit Beyond Blue or the Black Dog Institute.

Why is Exercise important?

There is mounting evidence that suggests exercise is an effective component of treatment for people living with acute and chronic mental illness. With exercise making a big difference in mood and promoting a positive mental health, whilst also helping to reduce the symptoms of mental illness, there is a significant need for exercise to be a fundamental part of mental health treatment. It’s important to remember that it’s not about what type of exercise is the best kind, it’s about what works for the individual, and that doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Even one workout a week is known to have great benefits.

The Stats

Physical inactivity is the cause of approximately 9% of premature mortality worldwide, with people experiencing a mental illness being particularly vulnerable to inactivity. The high risk of poor physical health in those with a serious mental illness is acknowledged as one of the major reasons for high mortality rates. The relative risk of death is estimated to be 2.2 times higher in people with mental disorders compared to the general population and this is largely due to chronic physical health problems rather than the mental health issues.

With 20% of the Australian population experiencing a mental illness in any given year, overwhelming research has shown that physical activity is not only an effective part of treatment alongside standard care, but can also help protect against future episodes of mental illness. Results of the 2018 HUNT study highlighted that 12% of cases of depression could have been prevented by just one hour of exercise a week.

Further research tells us that physical activity can then protect against developing future mental disorders. A study in The American Journal of Psychiatry found physical activity can protect against the emergence of depression, regardless of age and geographical region.

The research team found consistent evidence based on data from more than 260,000 people that physical activity decreases the odds against depression development by 17%. The results were consistent in analyses that have adjusted for potential variables like sex, age, smoking and body mass index.