Sports can bring depressed people out of their self-imposed isolation because exercise helps to relieve anxiety and stress. According to Fritz Hohagen, executive committee member of the German Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, sports make it easier for them to shed their "withdrawal behaviour" and gain self-assurance.
Sports counter depressives' lack of motivation and get them to become active, added Hohagen, who noted that the positive effects of exercise in combating depression were now well documented.
He said it was important for depressives who engaged in a sport to train regularly and see their sport as a constant in their life. Particularly effective in raising one's mood are moderate endurance sports such as Nordic walking, jogging, cycling and swimming. Beyond that, team sports can have a positive effect on the social behaviour of the mentally ill, who learn how to deal with their body and other people.
Participation in sports is also a component of therapy for anxiety disorders, addictions, eating disorders and mental illnesses such as schizophrenia. Hohagen said that regular exercise also benefited healthy people, who can thereby allay depressive moods and better alleviate stress.
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