Assignment #16 - Haley Noehren- Mental Medicine

Haley Noehren

Mr. Logsdon

AP Language and Composition

16 December 2019

Mental Medicine 

In the fall of 6th grade I decided to join the cross country team. My transition from elementary school to middle school had been rough, and I was suffering from an increase in stress and anxiety. Now, at the time I didn’t notice, but shorty after I began running on a daily basis, my anxiety had become more managed and I was feeling less stressed. But then cross country season ended. As winter came and the temperatures dropped and got worse, so did my anxiety. It seemed odd; in the months I stopped exercising, my stress and anxiety were at their worse. But this didn't just happen in 6th grade. It came back. In 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, I’ve witnessed that my mental health declines in the months that I am not regularly exercising.

This pattern that I experience is not uncommon. In-fact the exercise science world has begun to look into the relationship between exercise and mental health. Take the motto of ACSM, the American College of Sports Medicine,for example, which states that “exercise is medicine” (ACSM 1). But this prominent medicine journal’s motto only alludes to a greater problem. Yes, exercise is a form of ‘mental medicine’, but are people getting enough of it? And if people aren’t getting enough of it, then does that explain the growing mental health issues in the united states? Unfortunately ACSM does not have the answers to that. But modern research does. Currently, in the United States, 1 in 5 adults suffers from depression (“Mental Health By The Numbers” 1). Now consider this, only 5% of adults get the minimum amount of daily exercise suggested, according to the Department of Health and Human services (HHS Office, and Council on Sports). It is this increase in depression and decrease in exercise that is startling. It seems to be that there is some link between how much an individual exercises and the state of their mental health. And it is that relationship that I will be exploring today. I propose that there is a relationship between exercise and mental health, and that correlation can be explored to potentially combat the negative effects of depression. I will first show that there is a correlation between exercise and mental health, then provide research that solidifies that connection, and then conclude by discussing how exercise can be implemented as a solution to growing rates of depression and mental illness.

Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that lack of exercise is not the sole cause of depression and mental illness. There are many more environmental, situational, and genetics factors that also play into mental illness. What I am trying to show is that exercise can be used to mitigate those factors and potentially improve the lives of individuals suffering from poor mental health. 

Upon first glance, the link between depression and exercise seems thin. It seems that comparing mental health and exercising is like comparing apples and oranges, the two seem almost completely unrelated. Well, contrary to popular belief, there is a correlation between exercise and mental health. Let’s take a look at depression rates in the united states. According to NBC depression rates rose 47% between 2013 and 2016 (Fox). 47%. That’s a significant increase. Now let's look at exercise rates between 2001 and 2016. According to the world economic forum, teens in western countries (like america) experienced a uniform decline in exercise rates (“More than 80% of Adolescents…” 1). Together these two statististics begin to show the correlation between exercise and mental health. As rates of exercise decline, rates of depression increase. Now, correlation may not equal causation, but these two factors are definitely connected. Georgia Stathopoulou, a professor of psychology at Massachusetts University, solidifies that connection in her meta analysis of 14 research studies relating mental health and exercise. Stathopoulou was able to conclude that her “meta-analysis of 11 well-controlled studies yielded a large combined effect ...indicating that exercise can be a powerful intervention for clinical depression” (Stathopoulou 188). Through this we can see that exercise is correlated to mental health, and can be implemented to combat depression.

But there is more than just a correlation between exercise and depression, there is research that shows just how much these two influence each other. Even more, modern science is beginning to shine a light on just how big of an effect exercise has on increasing mood, and potentially decreasing the effects of depression. Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuski, in a speech at TEDwomen 2017, explained this relationship between exercise and mood. Her research concluded that “you not only get immediate effects of mood with exercise but those last for a long time… you get long-lasting increases in those good mood neurotransmitters” (Suzuki).  Suzuski’s research shines a light on the power of exercises. The reason so many of us may feel down or helpless might just be related to not getting enough exercise. But there is more. Research done by Jules Pretty, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Essex, elaborates of Suziskis research. After having patients run for a set amount of time, Pretty analyzed how they reported their mood felt both before and after the workout. He was able to conclude that exercise demonstrated significant positive effects toward boosting mood and helping improve mental health (Pretty 330). We can’t ignore the science. The numbers and statistics practically scream at us that depression and mental health are linked to exercise. My relapse in anxiety and stress experienced in between cross country and track seasons did have an explanation. That explanation? Exactly what Suziski and Pretty’s research shows; I wasn’t getting enough exercise. And because of that, my mood and mental health worsened. 

Ok, let’s take a break from statistics and research. Let’s think about the real world for a second. We know that exercise can be implemented to help decrease the effects of depression and boost mental health. The only question that remains is how? Well the good news is, we don't all have to run marathons if we want to improve our mental health. Even better, you don't even have to go to the gym. That’s right. This whole idea of exercising to improve mental health does not have to be hard. Currently there is a clouded perception surrounding exercise. A significant portion of Americans think that exercise should be some extreme endurance or physically challenging ordeal. Too many of us believe that we are hopeless when it comes to working out and being physically fit, or that exercise isn’t for us. But the thing is, it doesn’t have to be that way. The amount of exercise needed to improve your mood, is actually very minimal. And that’s what makes exercise such an easy solution to boosting mental health and fighting depression. All you have to do is just take the longer way to class. Or go for a walk after school. Ride a bike, if that’s what you enjoy. Go for a jog. Or complete a short workout video. Anything that gets your body moving and your heart pumping will also clear your mind and improve your mood. So the solution is easy, taking a short amount of time out of your day to exercise will greatly aid your mental health. 

The ACSM was right, “Exercise is Medicine”. It’s medicine for the mind. There is no denying the correlation between exercise and depression. The more that we make an effort to get out and get moving the better our mental health will get. There is no denying that a healthy body creates a healthy mind.

Works Cited

“American College of Sports Medicine.” ACSM, The American College of Sports Medicine, 2019, www.acsm.org/.

Fox, Maggie. “Major Depression on the Rise among Everyone, New Data Shows.” NBCNews.com, NBC Universal News Group, 11 May 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/major-depression-rise-among-everyone-new-data-shows-n873146.

HHS Office, and Council on Sports. “Facts & Statistics.” HHS.gov, US Department of Health and Human Services, 26 Jan. 2017, https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html.

“Mental Health By The Numbers.” NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Sept. 2019, https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers.

“More than 80% of Adolescents Worldwide Aren't Getting Enough Exercise.” The European Sting, The European Sting, 6 Dec. 2019, https://europeansting.com/2019/12/06/more-than-80-of-adolescents-worldwide-arent-getting-enough-exercise/.

Pretty, Jules, et al. “The Mental and Physical Health Outcomes of Green Exercise.” International Journal of Environmental Health Research, vol. 15, no. 5, Oct. 2005, pp. 319–337. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09603120500155963. 

Stathopoulou, Georgia, et al. “Exercise Interventions for Mental Health: A Quantitative and Qualitative Review.” Clinical Psychology: Science & Practice, vol. 13, no. 2, May 2006, pp. 179–193. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00021.x.

Suzuki, Wendy. “The Brain-Changing Benefits of Exercise.” TEDwomen 2017. www.ted.com/talks/wendy_suzuki_the_brain_changing_benefits_of_exercise/discussion?language=en.