ReviewTrends in psychiatry and psychotherapy
Physical activity, exercise, and mental disorders: it is time to move on.
Review in Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 135 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Cooperative Planning Process With the University Community to Sit Less, Move More and Improve Mental Health Though a Gendered Enviromental Approach: the Uni4Move Project
Effect of a Physiotherapy Intervention Based on Therapeutic Exercise on the Psychological Well-being of Women Victims of Gender Violence.
Who cites it
135 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 231 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness of Online Exercise on Physical Activity, Motor Function, and Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Resistance training for depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Pooled it
- Relationship between severe mental illness and physical multimorbidity: a meta-analysis and call for action.BMJ mental health · 2023Pooled it
- Evaluating the impact of motor quotient physical fitness training on health-related fitness indicators and obesity risk in children aged 7-8 years in Tianjin, China.BMC public health · 2025Trial
- Trial
- The Preconception Health and Health Behaviors of Australian First-Time Fathers: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2026Article
- Exercise-induced hippocampal miR-212/132 expression is preserved despite psychostimulant exposure and viral infection.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2026Article
- Health-related quality of life and its determinants among patients with diabetes mellitus in a selected hospital in Sri Lanka: a cross-sectional study.BMC endocrine disorders · 2026Article
- Physical activity and sedentary behavior among students and teachers in disadvantaged secondary schools: a cross-sectional study from northern Hungary.Preventive medicine reports · 2026Article
- Integrating a Physical Therapy Program into Usual Care for Hospital Inpatients with Major Depressive Disorder: Findings from a Case Series.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Molecular pathways linking traumatic brain injury to cardiovascular dysfunction: therapeutic potential of physical exercise.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Review
- Physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and anthropometric profiles in women with and without insulin resistance: a cross-sectional study.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Mind in motion: patients' experiences with group-based physical activity in psychiatric treatment- a mixed-methods study.BMC psychiatry · 2026Article
- The effectiveness of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in adults with psychiatric disorders: a scoping review.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology · 2026Review
- Impact of running therapy on the mental health of adolescents in daycare or inpatient psychiatry units: a pilot study.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Article
- Recommendations from the European interdisciplinary council on ageing on physical activity and diet for mental health conditions in older adults.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- Sleep Habits, Physical Exercise, and Social Media Use and Their Influence on Perceptions of Physical and Mental Health-Case Study at a Higher Education Institution in Portugal.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Resistance exercise exerts anti-hypertensive effects and downregulates NTPDase/CD39 and ecto-5'-nucleotidase/CD73 expression in patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis.Purinergic signalling · 2026Article
- Supporting Mental Health with Apps: A Systematic Review of Potential and Quality of Implemented Behavior Change Techniques in Mobile Health Applications.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2026Review
- Predictors of Professional Responses in Nonprofit Mental Health Forums: Interpretable Machine Learning Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
75 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
introductionPhysical activity, conceptualized as any bodily movement that results in energy expenditure, and its structured form, exercise, play an important role in public health, preventing and treating a wide range of physical conditions, including metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and obesity.
objectiveThis article aims to provide a brief overview and summary of the evidence on: 1) the preventive effects of physical activity on a wide range of mental disorders; 2) the role of physical activity in promoting the physical health of people with mental disorders; 3) the role of exercise as a strategy to manage mental health symptoms in a range of mental disorders; and 4) the challenges and barriers faced when implementing exercise in clinical practice.
methodsThis was a narrative review.
resultsCompelling evidence has demonstrated that physical activity and exercise can also prevent common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety disorders, and have multiple beneficial effects on the physical and mental health of people with a wide range of mental disorders. This body of evidence has been incorporated in national and international guidelines over the last decades, which have recommended the inclusion of physical activity and exercise as therapeutic approaches for mental disorders, mainly for depression and schizophrenia. Nonetheless, implementation into clinical practice has been slow, probably due to barriers associated both with patients and mental health professionals.
conclusionIncreases in physical activity levels in populations are likely to reduce the mental health burden. Exercise interventions should be incorporated to the routine care of people with mental disorders due its multiple benefits on physical and mental health outcomes. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to overcome patients barriers and enhance adherence and benefits.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.