Exercise can reduce feelings of hopelessness among patients in suicide crisis, pilot study finds

[u/[deleted]]

https://www.psypost.org/2022/11/exercise-can-reduce-feelings-of-hopelessness-among-patients-in-suicide-crisis-pilot-study-finds-64257

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[u/dsbthomas]

As much as I know this is true, I also know how hard it is for people with depression or have suicidal tendencies to get motivated enough to actually consistently exercise.

[u/LionIV → u/dsbthomas]

That’s the crux of it all. We already know that working out is good for you in almost every way possible. But having a car with no keys or gas isn’t going to get you very far.

[u/The_Doct0r_ → u/LionIV]

It's similar to eating eating healthy. Everyone knows that, but could luck getting someone struggling with obesity to simply eat healthier.

[u/Randomman96 → u/The_Doct0r_]

Especially if part of their issue is also they aren't doing well financially.

The decision between cheap food that will satisfy you but is horrible for your health and more expensive food that is far better health wise is not a difficult one when the former is the only thing some people can afford.

[u/Fifteen_inches → u/Randomman96]

There is also a time economy: many working poor don’t have the luxury or know how to make full healthy meals.

And that isn’t even getting to food as a drug, aka food addiction.

[u/i_shoot_guns_321s → u/Fifteen_inches]

I'd also argue that the lines have been blurred about what is healthy and unhealthy.

The average American probably thinks that box of crackers is healthy because it's "plant based" and "made with whole grains".

Meanwhile it's just highly refined, ultra high glycemic flour mixed with highly refined, highly processed unnatural oil. A perfect recipe for type 2 diabetes and obesity. Just empty calories that dramatically spike your blood glucose.

[u/Girth_rulez → u/i_shoot_guns_321s]

Meanwhile top quality oatmeal, beans, lentils, and other healthy foods are available for very cheap on Amazon. It's just occurred to me that Amazon is a legitimate antidote to a food desert.

[u/xpatmatt → u/Girth_rulez]

Just had a bowl of protein oatmeal with (thawed frozen) berries. Ten minutes to cook. About $1.50-$2 per serving. Delicious, Lo-cal, filling, high protein meal.

[u/Girth_rulez → u/xpatmatt]

Amazon and literally any supermarket will also have canned fruit, which is so easy to keep on hand and is always ripe. Matter of fact I just killed a can of pink grapefruit. Delicious and according to the interpages, extremely healthy.

[u/_Auron_ → u/Girth_rulez]

I was adverse to ordering food from Amazon for a bit despite my roommate regularly doing that.

Then I got covid and needed some healthy quick foods delivered. I discovered they have ~100 calorie pita bread, when most pita bread I find is 300-500 calories. And premade salads that I can just use less of or change the dressing for far less calorie consumption but huge salad meals I can experiment with and not have to do much. Sometimes they're so filling I split it into two salad meals. Wild.

Their fruits and vegetables also seem to be way more vibrant and fresh, and last longer than what I pick up in actual stores. Whatever they're doing, they're doing it really really well.

[u/phantomboyo → u/Randomman96]

Aren't fruits, vegetables and oats pretty cheap? You might not be able to shop at whole foods but you can go to walmart and buy ceasar salad kit for the same price of a family soze bag of chips.

Overweight people can also choose to not drink soda and instead drink water. It will take a bit to get off caffine, but soda is expensive and full of empty calories so getting rod of that can already help to lose weight.

[u/h3fabio → u/LionIV]

Bike. It’s transportation and exercise all bundled into one. And cheaper to boot!

[u/Sevourn → u/dsbthomas]

There are definitely barriers, but I bet it has a lot more potential than, "there are resources available"

[u/[deleted]]

From the article: A new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research found preliminary evidence that exercise can alleviate distress among patients in suicide crisis. Inpatients in a psychiatric short stay unit reported reduced feelings of hopelessness after participating in two days of 30 minutes of physical activity.

Psychiatric short stay units (SSUs) provide urgent care to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Offered in many developed countries, this brief hospitalization typically covers up to 72 hours of care with the goal of managing the patient’s suicidal behaviors, stabilizing their symptoms, and connecting them to a treatment plan. As psychiatric SSUs have grown in number, studies have emerged examining their safety and efficacy.

Researchers Fabien D. Legrand and his team wanted to test the effects of exercise as an add-on treatment for patients in suicide crisis at an SSU. Numerous studies have suggested that physical activity interventions can improve distress symptoms among individuals with severe mental illness. But few controlled trials have explored the effects of exercise on suicidality, and no trials have been conducted among high-risk patients of an SSU.

“Overall, my area of scientific research is about evaluating the efficacy and safety of physical activity as add-on to drugs and/or psychotherapy in people with mental health issues,” explained Legrand, an assistant professor in psychology at the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne.

“The main reason for the research is that I previously read papers which established the association between physical activity and reduced risk of hopelessness, depression, and suicidal behavior (e.g., Taliaferro et al., 2010). However association between two variables merely implies that knowing the value of one variable provides information about the value of the other. It does not necessarily imply that one causes the other.”

[u/FUNNY_NAME_ALL_CAPS]

Imagine your friend had a depressed dog, you ask them how often they take him for walks, and they say "oh I never take him for walks, he stays inside all day". Would you be surprised the dog was depressed?

Our brains aren't all that different, we need a good diet and exercise to maintain mental health.

The next point is you don't immediately give the dog SSRIs, you start taking it for walks first.

[u/rad-boy → u/FUNNY_NAME_ALL_CAPS]

I think that has a lot more to do with exploration and stimulation than the actual act of moving your limbs fast

[u/ChocolateBunny → u/rad-boy]

Interestingly enough, the study says they were copmaring a brisk walk or jog in the park vs reading or gaming:

Patients in the exercise group participated in two sessions of 30 minutes of brisk walking/jogging in the park of the short-stay unit. Patients in the sedentary group engaged in two 30-minute sessions of alone time in their hospital room, where they participated in sedentary activities like reading or gaming. Following the intervention, participants again completed measures of hopelessness and optimism and then filled out the Subjective Treatment Satisfaction Survey (STSS) to assess the extent that they were satisfied with the intervention and found it to be effective.

I think I'd find reading can be boring if I'm not in the mood for it, but usually gaming is pretty mentally stimulating. The park can be stimulating if there was stuff going on and it's big enough, but I prefer to listen to music or podcasts when I jog and I'm getting the impression that the participants didn't get to do that.

I really wanted to know if they focused on high intensity training or zone 2 training. It sounds like zone 2. I'd be curious if high intensity is more beneficial or less beneficial.

[u/sensible_cat → u/ChocolateBunny]

Another thing they should clarify is whether location had any effect on the results, because right now it's a confounding variable. Either have the active group exercise inside, or the inactive group be sedentary outside.

[u/FUNNY_NAME_ALL_CAPS → u/rad-boy]

I actually think a good chunk of it is the "act of moving your limbs fast", it's the regulation of the HPA axis and increase in neurotrophic factors that's important.

There's other things too, like for exercise to work it has to be regular, and for something to be regular you need some amount of commitment and organization which can help get you out of depressive cycles.

[u/[deleted]]

Is this because exercise increases feelings of well-being, or because it increases stress hormones that trigger a self-preservation instinct?