A randomized, controlled study on the effects of a short- term endurance training programme in patients with major depression

Karolin Knubben ¹, Friedel Reischies ¹, Mazda Adli ², Michael Bauer ², Peter Schlattmann ² and Fernando Carlos Dimeo ^3*

¹ Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
² Charité Unversitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
³ Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Germany

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: fernando.dimeo{at}charite.de.

Accepted 9 October 2006

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the short-term effects of exercise in patients with major depression.

Design: Prospective, randomised, controlled study.

Setting: University hospital.

Patients: A consecutive series of thirty-eight inpatients with a major depression episode in the initial phase of standard clinical antidepressant medication therapy.

Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to an exercise (walking, n=20) or placebo (low-intensity stretching and relaxation exercises, n=18) group. Training was carried out for 10 days.

Main Outcome Measurements: Severity of depression assessed with the Bech-Raffaelsen Melancholy Scale (BRMS) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D).

Results: After 10 days, reduction of depression scores within the exercise group was significantly larger than in the placebo group (BRMS: 36% vs. 18%; CES- D: 41% vs. 21%; p for both = 0.01); the proportion of patients with a clinical response (reduction of the BRMS scores by more than six points was also larger for the exercise group (65% vs. 22%, p<0.01).

Conclusions: Endurance exercise may help to achieve substantial improvement in the mood of selected patients with major depression in a short time.

Key Words: affective disorders, depression, exercise, randomized controlled trial

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