Effectiveness of Group Physical Exercise in Treating Major Depressive Disorder: An Analysis of Secondary Data from an Aborted Randomized Trial.

Background: Depression is highly prevalent and a significant cause of mortality and morbidity across the globe. Although antidepressants and/or psychotherapy are often used to treat depression, some recent studies indicate that exercise may play an important role in lowering depression symptoms among patients meeting the clinical criteria of a depressive episode.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the mental health and wellbeing of adult participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) after fourteen weeks of receiving a supervised physical exercise program.

Effectiveness of Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exercise in the Management of Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Despite evidence in scientific literature indicating the effectiveness of both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and physical exercise in the management of major depressive disorder (MDD), few studies have directly compared them.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of group CBT, physical exercise, and only wait-listing to receive treatment-as-usual (TAU) in the management of MDD. The investigators hypothesize that participants with MDD assigned to the group CBT or exercise arms of the study will achieve superior outcomes compared with participants wait-listed to receive TAU only.