Effect of Exercise for Depression: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based on material published in the BMJ and is available as an open-access article. Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide and has been found to lower life satisfaction more than debt, divorce, and diabetes and to exacerbate comorbidities, including heart disease, anxiety, and cancer. Although people with major depressive disorder often respond well to drug treatments and psychotherapy, many are resistant to treatment. In addition, access to treatment for many people with depression is limited, with only 51% treatment coverage for high-income countries and 20% for low and lower-middle-income countries. More evidence-based treatments are therefore needed. Exercise may be an effective complement or alternative to drugs and psychotherapy. This course on the relationship between exercise and depression is designed for clinical social workers, psychologists, professional counselors, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their expertise in the relationship between exercise and depression. The course material includes a literature review of research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. A significant benefit of reading peer-reviewed research-based articles for continuing education is that they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Noetel, Sanders, Gallardo-Gomez, Taylor, del Pozo Cruz, van den Hoek, Smith, Mahoney, Spathis, Moresi, Pagano, Pagano, Vasconcellos, Arnott, Varley, Parker, Biddle, Lonsdale Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the relationship between exercise and depression. Specifically, a professional will: Describe the general effects of exercise on depression. Recognize the effects of specific types of exercise on depression. Identify potential explanations for the effects of exercise on depression. Citation: Noetel, M., Sanders, T., Gallardo-Gómez, D., Taylor, P., Del Pozo Cruz, B., van den Hoek, D., Smith, J. J., Mahoney, J., Spathis, J., Moresi, M., Pagano, R., Pagano, L., Vasconcellos, R., Arnott, H., Varley, B., Parker, P., Biddle, S., & Lonsdale, C. (2024). Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 384, e075847. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-075847