[snemvalts]

Instead, people try to fix it with antidepressants, benzodiazepines or something else.

It feels a bit like the US approach to pain management – instead of massages or physical therapy, some opioid pill is cheaper to prescribe.

[dailykoder]

I dislike this black n white rhetoric from both sides. "Just do some workout" - "no this doesn't work for me". Yes, workout does help, but mental illness is still real. Both sides should try to be more sensitive and more understanding in my opinion.

I can't fix my social anxiety through workout. But I sure can feel better about myself when doing it and then approach those anxieties with more confidence, but the anxieties are still there.

[snemvalts]

I'm speaking from experience regarding mental illnesses and exercise. And I never discounted medication. Just that exercise is critically underprescribed, I'm fairly sure it would work better for milder cases compared to meds. Not to mention the other health benefits listed in the thread.

Same way an opioid pill is still prescribed in cases of cancer or severe pain. Just that there are probably better, milder alternatives that don't have as many side effects that could fit a lot of these people with milder problems.

[weatherlite]

I'm not saying that workouts will necessarily fix your social anxiety or any other mental disorder, but I don't know of anything else that necessarily will - meds and psychotherapy are also quite limited in their effectiveness. All I'm saying is people should at least consider that exercise (and more specifically - mild to rigorous cardio workouts) can be just as effective as psychotherapy / meds are. The evidence is there. I don't expect this understanding to come from therapists, this needs to come from society at large. Also, it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive, you can do both.

[throwaway2037]

    > my social anxiety

I am considering trying some beta blockers. Did you try them? They seem like an interesting experiement.

[TillE]

Exercise (and sunlight!) are proven treatments for mild to moderate depression. It's probably not all you need, but it's a very good start.

Exercise does nothing for severe depression.

[steve_adams_86]

My depression is severe and exercise does make a difference. I’m not sure why you’d think that.

It doesn’t make the bad thoughts go away. It doesn’t turn off the bad feelings. I’d still be diagnosed with severe depression if I went in with a fresh slate. What it does is give me the energy to endure it, though. The physiological symptoms subside quite a bit, and it makes a meaningful difference.

It also helps more than medication since I seem to be a non-responder. It’s a big help in my life.

[weatherlite]

Agreed, but mild to moderate depression is the majority of people with mental health issues - that's where we should start. Also , I suspect it will also help a lot in severe depression but its hard to get someone with severe depression to exercise - in that case meds should be the way to go.

[weatherlite]

Yep exactly this. The thing is we are now so removed from exercise (and healthy living in general) as a society - take the car, take the elevator, sit at your desk the whole day and then fall asleep in the couch at home. And paradoxically this lifestyle makes us so tired and energy depleted, that even the thought of starting to exercise seems ridiculous to many. This is making it super hard for many people to start exercising and persist, it seems like everything in modern society is geared to make us couch zombies - so no surprise we have high levels of obesity, anxiety, depression and what not.

[noonanibus]

It's not that hard a leap is it? For some reason it seems oblivious to non-sufferers that the idea of a physical treatment for a mental ailment is a given?

For most folks, that connection doesn't exist. Hell, I work out 3x a week and even I don't notice the obvious side-effects even though I'm certain they exist.

When we're dealing with ordinary people living their daily lives, the idea that something so "non-mental" - in the most literal sense "physical" can have an effect on the mental, is a really tough thing to swallow, understand and hell, even percept when things are going well?

Sorry. But I'm an avid gym-goer and even I have to remind myself of the positive it's doing. We're not all the same.

[weatherlite]

> Sorry. But I'm an avid gym-goer and even I have to remind myself of the positive it's doing. We're not all the same.

Maybe you're one of the people that for whatever reason exercise does nothing to - though I highly doubt it. I'm not sure what training you do exactly but to reap most of the benefits the workout should include moderate cardio work. I don't think going to lift weights for a 40-60 minutes with plenty of rest between sets will cut it. Running for 45+ minutes is what most people should aim for, of course beginners will do less.

Anyway I agree with you - for most folks the connection doesn't exist, perhaps its time this changed.