Doctors have found an effective way to prevent depression
'10.10.2017'
Source: Time
Today, the whole world celebrates Mental Health Day. In contrast to physical ailments, in modern society it is still commonly believed that mental and mood problems are simply weakness. Whereas millions of people around the world cannot lead full lives because of depression.
A study of Australian doctors, published in the journal American Journal of Psychiatry, set to open new ways to get rid of this disease, as well as its prevention. The results of an experiment conducted over 11 years with the participation of 22 thousands of physically healthy people with signs of anxiety and depression showed that exercise really helps. He writes about it Time.
At the very beginning of the experiment, prospective participants were asked about their activity. 12% said they did not exercise at all, the rest cited different data - from “about 30 minutes” to “more than 4 hours” per week. Over the next ten years, about 7% of the participants were diagnosed with depression and 9% with anxiety disorder.
People who admitted to not exercising, at 44%, were more at risk of becoming victims of depression than those who did at least 1 or 2 hours a week (yes, a week, not a day!). But those who worked longer or more often did not receive additional advantages for the psyche, although this is certainly beneficial for health in general.
According to scientists, a fair percentage of cases of depression can be prevented by engaging in physical activity at least one hour a week. At the same time, it is not necessary to work intensively. Scientists say that exercise helps people recover, get rid of the manifestations of depression, and advise them to complement traditional therapy.
