In-patient physical exercise program as an adjuvant therapy for depression.

Introduction: There is a lack of data on the efficacy of physical exercise (PE) as a treatment method for depression in managing in-patients in the short-term treatment course. Objectives: The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of the physical exercise program as an adjuvant therapy for depression. Methods: For our study we formed two groups of patients with major depression receiving medical care at the Republican Research and Practice Mental Health Center: (1) the ones who received PE in addition to their usual treatment (n=57, mean age 43.4 years, SD =12.5) and (2) those with only treatment as usual - the control group (n=49, mean age 43.04, SD =13.7). PE was conducted with the frequency of 3-5 times a week in a group under the supervision of a fitness instructor. The PE program included aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises as well as elements of yoga and pilates. We used Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), sleep and quality of life questionnaires. Results: The mean number of sessions in the main group was 11 (7-14). There was a significant decrease of depressive and anxiety symptoms in both groups but the effect sizes were bigger in the main group on HDRS (Cohen's d=3.38 versus 2,5 in controls) and HAM-A (Cohen's d=3.7 versus 2,11 in controls). Conclusions: Our results support the idea of the efficacy of shortterm PE program as an adjuvant therapy for treating depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]