How do you counsel patients with depression about the role exercise may play in alleviating depressive symptoms?

I’m a big fan of exercise for all of my patients, to the point where I have my 5th-degree black belt diploma on the wall of my office next to my undergrad, PhD, and MD diplomas. I tell patients, “That’s up there to say to try and fit in exercise as realistically as your schedule allows, in a way you...

It’s hard to motivate folks to exercise (or properly diet, exercise’s close cousin). One idea is to explain the role of inflammation in mental health and the effect of exercise on lowering it. Gentle encouragement over time can help get people started on a healthy regimen.

While contemporary discourse often suggests that exercise may serve as an equivalent to pharmacotherapy or psychological intervention for depression, such claims frequently fail to account for the clinical spectrum of the disorder. In psychiatric practice, we routinely manage severe melancholic or p...

Love recommending exercise - so important. I also like to quote studies which show it can be as effective as Rx. I also have my yoga teacher training certificate hanging with my diplomas. Then parents know I walk the walk with them. I do, however, experience a little worry about shaming those who do...

Pre SSRI, I would tell patients that there are studies that show exercise at moderate intensity for twenty minutes three times per week treats depression and prevents recurrence. For those who had not previously exercised, I would suggest they start a low-intensity program; then, as their mood impro...

The Gender-Stress Gap: Women Benefit Most From a Daily Workout

I educate patients that movement can play a meaningful role in depression treatment by improving energy, sleep, and overall mood, and I frame it as behavioral activation rather than a fitness requirement. I emphasize that any movement that is manageable and repeatable counts, and that success with v...