Although there have been much evidence supporting the use of exercise as an effective treatment to clinical depression, there are certain types of depression where exercise may not show any effectiveness. Such was the case in the study conducted by Ko, Yang & Chiang (2008) with women who have been diagnosed with Post Partum Depression. In the study that was conducted by the authors, women who have been diagnosed with Post Partum Depression were also grouped with one group utilizing exercise as a means to alleviate them from Post Partum Depression.
Another group was provided a more traditional treatment for addressing Post Partum Depression. Based on the data that was gathered as a result of the study conducted, the researchers have determined that there is no significant change between the levels of depression in the group that was provided an exercise routine to follow as compared to those that have been provided a more traditional form of treatment. The reason for the lack of success of the use of exercise training in this case was due to the presence of fatigue among the women who were undergoing Post Partum Depression.
Stress and the presence of the feeling of fatigue among individuals is another contributing factor to feelings of depression. Since exercise may cause an increase in feelings of fatigue, the results have shown that there was minimal improvement in the levels of depression experienced by women with Post Partum Depression. Conclusion Depression has been considered as the most common mood disorder that has inflicted individuals within a particular society. Its deliberating and often fatal consequences have driven researchers to seek for various forms of treatment in order to alleviate the feelings of depression.
Exercise training has been considered to be a recommended alternative since exercise has been found to have cause various changes in the chemical balance within an individual’s body, providing the same results and effects as those seen when an individual takes SSRI medication. However, there are some instances where exercise training may not prove to be effective. This is found in individuals who have been considered as clinically depressed brought about by the presence of fatigue.
In conclusion, while exercise training may be able to effectively alleviate depression levels in most conditions, it is necessary to first diagnose the root cause of for an individual to be depressed in order to determine if the use of exercise training would prove to be effective or otherwise.
References
Hayes, D. & Ross, C. E. (1986). The effect of exercise, overweight, and physical health on psychological well-being. Journal of health and social behavior, 27(4), 387-400. Klein, D. F. & Wender, P. H. (2005).
Understanding depression: a complete guide to its diagnosis and treatment. New York: Oxford University Press. Ko, Y. L. , Yang, C. L. & Chiang, L. C. (2008). Effects of postpartum exercise program on fatigue and depression during the “doing-the-month” period. Journal of nursing research, 16(3), 177-86. Tsang, H. W. H. & Fung, K. M. T. (2008). A review on neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying the anti-depressive effect of Qigong exercise. Journal of health psychology, 13(7), 857-63.