The surrounding area 3.2 million Australians are living with depression.
at the same time, a bit Australians meet recommended dietary and exercise guidelines, so what is the relationship between the two?
The world’s first attempt, Released this weekEvidence suggests that improving diet and increasing exercise may be as effective as psychologist-led therapy in treating mild depression.
Previous research ( Our own) have found that “lifestyle” therapies can be effective for depression, but until now they have never been directly compared with psychotherapy.
Nationwide Shortage In collaboration with mental health professionals, our study points to a potential solution: because lifestyle counselling was found to be as effective as psychotherapy, our findings suggest that nutritionists and exercise physiologists may have a role to play in managing depression in future.
What did we measure in our study?
Victorians’ levels of distress during extended COVID lockdown High and widespreadIn-person mental health services were limited.
Our study looked at people in Victoria who were highly stressed and had at least mild depression but not necessarily a diagnosed mental disorder. Typical symptoms included feeling down, hopeless, irritability and tearfulness.
we, Community Mental Health Services The study recruited 182 adults to participate in group-based sessions over Zoom, with all participants attending up to six sessions over an eight-week period, supervised by a medical professional.
Half were randomly assigned to participate in a program co-led by a certified dietitian and exercise physiologist. Called the Lifestyle Program, this group developed nutrition and exercise goals.
- Eat a wide variety of foods
- Choose high-fiber plant-based foods
- Contains good fats
- Limiting intake of select foods, such as those high in saturated fats and added sugars
- Do fun physical activities.
The second group participated in psychotherapy sessions led by two psychologists who used cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the gold standard for treating depression. For group and remote broadcasts.
In both groups, participants were able to continue their existing treatment (e.g., taking antidepressants). Workbooks and basketsThe lifestyle group received grocery bags, while the psychotherapy group received items such as coloring books, stress balls and head massagers.
Lifestyle Therapies Are Just as Effective
Similar results were obtained for each program.
At the start of the study, each participant was given a score based on their self-reported mental health, and they were measured again at the end of the program.
Over the course of eight weeks, these scores showed that participants in the lifestyle program (42%) and the psychotherapy program (37%) had reduced symptoms of depression. Because this difference was neither statistically nor clinically significant, it can be concluded that both treatments were equally effective.
There were some slight differences between the groups: those who took part in the lifestyle program improved their eating habits, while those who took part in the psychological therapy program reported an increase in social support – how connected they felt to other people – compared to when treatment began.
Participants in both programs increased their physical activity. This was expected for participants in the lifestyle program but unexpected for those in the psychotherapy program. This may be because participants knew they were taking part in a lifestyle study and subconsciously changed their activity patterns, or it may be a positive by-product of receiving psychotherapy.
There was also no significant difference in cost: the cost of delivering the lifestyle program was AUD$482 per participant, while psychological therapy was slightly less at AUD$503, due to different hourly rates for nutritionists, exercise physiologists and psychologists.
What does this mean for the mental health workforce shortage?
Demand for mental health services is increasing in Australia, but at the same time the workforce is shrinking. Facing worsening shortages nationwide.
Psychologists are About half Of all mental health services, medical services have the longest wait times. Our findings suggest that with the right training and guidelines, health professionals specialising in diet and exercise could help fill this gap.
Lifestyle therapy can be combined with psychology sessions for multidisciplinary care, but diet and exercise therapy can be particularly effective for people who may not have access to other specialist support while waiting to see a psychologist.
Many nutritionists and exercise physiologists already have advanced skills and expertise in promoting behavior change. Most accredited practicing nutritionists Eating disorders or Gastrointestinal disordersIt often overlaps with depression.
There is also the issue of cost. Overall it’s cheap It costs more to train a nutritionist and takes less time ($153,039) than a psychologist ($189,063).
Potential barriers
Australians with chronic conditions (such as diabetes) can access subsidised dietitian and exercise physiologists under various Medicare treatment plans. People with eating disorders can also access subsidised dietitian access.
But mental health care plans for people with depression don’t support subsidized sessions with nutritionists or exercise physiologists. Peak Body I urged him to do so.
Training, upskilling and increased Medicare subsidies will be needed to support nutritionists and exercise physiologists in treating mental health issues.
Our Training Clinical Guidelines It is intended to assist clinicians in implementing lifestyle-based mental health care within their scope of practice (activities that health care providers can perform).
Our goal
Our trial took place during the COVID-19 lockdown and involved people with at least mild symptoms of depression, but not necessarily with a psychiatric disorder.
We are currently attempting to replicate these findings. the study It is aimed at Australians living with mental illnesses such as severe depression and bipolar disorder.
If this story makes you feel uncomfortable or you need to talk to someone, Check out this list to find 24/7 crisis hotlines in your country and seek help.
Adrienne O’NeillProfessor, Food & Mood Center Deakin University and Sophie MahoneyAssociate Researcher at the Food and Mood Center Deakin University
This article is reprinted from conversation Published under a Creative Commons license. Original Article.
