
A Combined Approach: Exercise as a Mental Health Treatment
At PsychPhys™, we are committed to providing the best support and services within our communities in order to help people achieve healthier, happier and enriched lives, and get them back to what is meaningful for them. We work within a biopsychosocial model, using a combined approach to our clinical care. This ensures a quality, evidence-based practice approach for you, your health and your goals.
Background

Mental health conditions (including anxiety and depression) affect 43% of the Australian population (8.5 million) at some point in their lifetime. (1) Moreover, 22% of the Australian population (4.3 million) have experienced a mental health condition in the past 12 months. (1) The most prevalent observed conditions are anxiety disorders (3.4 million; 17% of population), affective disorders (1.5 million; 8% of population), and substance use disorders (650,000; 3% of the population). (1)
For those experiencing a mental health condition, it has been seen to impact quality of life (2) and lower social participation within the community. (3) Therefore, mental health is an important component to achieving
well-being and being able to participate in meaningful activities. To successfully improve mental health symptoms, exercise has gained some positive attention as a treatment in clinical care.
Benefits of Exercise Physiology for Mental Health
Exercise has been well established as an effective way to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and overall function. (4) These benefits also extend to a longer health span, as exercise delays the onset of numerous physical chronic diseases, and is an effective non-invasive treatment for established conditions. (5) However, less known are the numerous benef
its of exercise for mental health.
A recent systematic review and network meta-analysis highlighted exercise as an effective treatment for depression, with aerobic exercise, yoga, and strength training being most useful; particularly at higher intensities. (6) This is further supported by and expanded upon by another systematic review, finding exercise positively affects other mental health conditions.
These benfits include lower anxiety and distress in the general population and people diagnosed with a mental health condition. (7) Therefore, exercise is a useful therapy tool that is able to achieve numerous benefits for those living with a mental health condition or experiencing mental health symptoms.
Combined Psychology and Exercise Physiology
Psychological interventions, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, have shown numerous benefits in treating mental health conditions over the years. (8, 9) These interventions have been a cornerstone of mental health treatment, and have been effective in treating anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and more. (8, 9) However, an approach using both exercise and psychology has only recently gained attention as a combined treatment for mental health.

For example, a systematic review investigating the addition of physical exercise to CBT found additional benefits for anxiety symptoms in clinical populations when administered regularly. (10) Furthermore, a combined exercise and CBT approach has seen similar results for clinical depression, showing a superior effect on depressive symptoms as opposed to CBT alone. (11)
Therefore, it appears that exercise is an effective adjunct treatment alongside psychological intervention for mental health conditions, eliciting additional benefits across conditions.

Takeaway Points
Exercise is a useful modality that improves cardiorespiratory fitness, strength, and overall function. - Exercise improves health and well-being, delaying and treating the onset of numerous chronic health conditions.
- Exercise is a medicine for mental health conditions.
- Exercise and Psychological intervention, is evidence based for providing Mental Health benefits.
At PsychPhys™ we support individuals through accessing Medicare for Psychology and exercise therapies.
This involves speaking to your GP about a Mental Health Care Plan or a Chronic Disease Management/ Enhanced Primary Care plan, where you can access up to 10 subsidised psychology appointments and 5 subsidised exercise physiology appointments.
For more information, please reach out to our team at info@psychphys.com.au or 03 9088 7585, or contact your GP.
References
- Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Prevalence and impact of mental illness [Internet]. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australian Government; 2024.
- Tang AL, Thomas SJ. Relationships Between Depressive Symptoms, Other Psychological Symptoms, and Quality of Life. Psychiatry Research. 2020 Jul;289:113049.
- Elmer T, Stadtfeld C. Depressive symptoms are associated with social isolation in face-to-face interaction networks. Scientific Reports. 2020;10(1).
- Ruegsegger GN, Booth FW. Health Benefits of Exercise. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2018; 2;8(7):a029694.
- Anderson E, Durstine JL. Physical activity, exercise, and chronic diseases: A brief review. Sports Med Health Sci. 2019 Sep 10;1(1):3-10.
- Noetel M, Sanders T, Gallardo-Gómez D, Taylor P, del Pozo Cruz B, van den Hoek D et al. Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2024; 384:e075847
- Singh B, Olds T, Curtis R, et al. Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: an overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;57:1203-1209.
- Nakao M, Shirotsuki K, Sugaya N. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies. Biopsychosoc Med. 2021; 3;15(1):16.
- Dindo L, Van Liew JR, Arch JJ. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Transdiagnostic Behavioral Intervention for Mental Health and Medical Conditions. Neurotherapeutics. 2017;14(3):546-553.
- Frederiksen KP, Stavestrand SH, Venemyr SK, Sirevåg K, Hovland A. Physical exercise as an add-on treatment to cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety: a systematic review. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2021;49(5):626-640.
- Bourbeau K, Moriarty T, Ayanniyi A, Zuhl M. The Combined Effect of Exercise and Behavioral Therapy for Depression and Anxiety: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Behav Sci (Basel). 2020;14;10(7):116.