Our world-first trial shows improving diet and doing more physical activity can be as effective as therapy with a psychologist for treating low-grade depression.
That sounds reasonable to me -- try diet and exercise (among other therapies) for patients with low-grade depression.
I had ECT in the family. I served a three-year internship as Assistant Psychologist in a provincial psychiatric facility. My research interest was catatonia.
I have seen mild, moderate, and severe depression. Diet and exercise are not useful therapeutic strategies for the latter.
It is the "exception" where it would be, not the rule
As one of my doctors used to say, “The only expert on your depression is you.”
”I can help you with the tools at my disposal; but in the end, no one else knows what you are going through. No one else—not me, not the medical schools, not the pharmaceutical companies—is an expert on your depression.”
And that includes you and me. We are not experts on other people’s depression. We do not know what it feels like to be in their shoes.
But I can tell you this.
I have dealt with severe depression. Over many years. And I have had friends and family who have dealt with it. And some lost the battle.
But none of them who tried to use exercise (whether intense cardio, hiking in the mountains, or just walking in their neighborhood) would agree with you that it was of no value. Each of them thought that it helped make their struggle just a little bit easier and/or gave them a glimmer of hope.
I personally found that exercise helped me return to a meaningful life. And I have now been using it for many years to keep the wolf from the door.
And, BTW, my doctors ALL agreed as to its efficacy.
So even if you are an expert as to your own depression, you might consider what exercise might mean to other people.
And if you are not someone who has dealt with your own severe depression, you might consider holding your tongue.