Could running treat depression? What a new study found.

According to a recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, running may be just as effective a treatment as antidepressants among individuals with depression and/or anxiety disorder.

Tactics to build a stronger behavioral health system

Study details and key findings

For the study, researchers recruited 141 patients from depression and anxiety outpatient clinics in the Netherlands. All patients either had major depressive disorder or an anxiety disorder, including social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder. The mean age of the patients was 38.2 years, and 58.2% were women.

The researchers gave patients the option to either be randomized into...