Doctors should prescribe exercise for depression

In the UK the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) has issued a report calling for doctors to offer exercise instead of anti-depressants for patients with mild depression. The MHF claims that there is mounting evidence for the efficacy of supervised exercise programmes in treating depression. Currently only 5% of doctors commonly prescribe exercise for depression, whilst 78% of doctors prescribe antidepressants. The cost of antidepressant prescriptions has risen 2000% in the last 12 years. MHF is calling for the government to invest £20 million in developing exercise as a treatment for mild depression.

http://news.bbc.co.uk, accessed 4 April 2005