Exercise therapy and mental health in clinical populations: is exercise therapy a worthwhile intervention?

There is widespread support for a positive and lasting relationship between participation in regular exercise and various indices of mental health, and several consensus documents and reviews (e.g. Biddle et al , 2000; Craft & Landers, 1998) have been published in this field. The evidence for psychological benefits, although impressive for mentally healthy individuals, is even stronger for psychiatric populations (Martinsen & Stephens, 1994). For example, a number of studies have demonstrated a positive relationship between exercise and mental health in people with alcohol misuse problems (Donaghy et al , 1991), people with schizophrenia (Chamove, 1986; Faulkner & Sparkes, 1999) and those with clinical depression (Mutrie, 1988; Martinsen, 1993; 1994; Martinsen et al , 1989 a, b ).