A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders found that running therapy and antidepressants had similar effects on mental health—about 44% of each group showed improvements in symptoms.
The 141 participants included in the study had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety before starting treatment. The group was offered the choice of running or antidepressants (SSRIs), with 45 choosing the medication and 96 opting for outdoor running two or more times each week—which they’d follow for 16 weeks.
The lack of randomization was meant to mimic a real-world scenario, researchers said. However, it is worth noting that it does mean the study may be slightly biased. Those who opted for medication may have been less likely to choose running due to depression severity and thus less likely to show improvements with either method.
The study design also shows some people have an aversion to antidepressants that mirrors what could happen in a doctor’s office—some patients want to exhaust other options first, and this study provides one research-backed option for mental health professionals to suggest.
Other recent research has shown that some people are less likely to respond positively to antidepressants due to genetic biotypes, further calling for other effective treatment options.
“Interestingly, our study did show a larger decrease in anxiety symptoms after six weeks in the antidepressant group, which suggests faster improvement on especially anxiety-related symptoms,” researchers write.
The running group also had a lower adherence rate than the antidepressant group (52% compared to 82%), suggesting that while this method may be effective, it is more difficult to stick with.
It’s worth noting, though, that the participants in the running therapy group also saw improvements in waist circumference, weight, and cardiovascular function—all of which are important markers for overall health and risk of many chronic diseases.
