MHM Magazine

EXERCISE IS A SCALABLE, EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTION FOR MENTAL HEALTH GLOBALLY AND IN SA Mental health challenges are everywhere in South Africa. According to a national survey done in 2022, more than a quarter of adults screened positive for depression, and close to one in five showed signs of anxiety. Furthermore, the South African Stress and Health (SASH) study also found that nearly one in three people will experience a mental disorder at some point in their life, with anxiety disorders affecting around 15.8% of the population, and mood disorders affecting 9.8% of the population.. These numbers don’t even account for the added strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has in many cases, caused ongoing financial stress, as well as a sharp increase in antidepressant use. It’s clear we need more ways to support people and patients. We need solutions that are practical, affordable, and widely accessible. Exercise could be one such solution. Often overlooked in clinical settings, physical activity is proving to be one of the most powerful tools we have to support mental health. Exercise is low- cost, has very few side effects, and delivers benefits that rival those of medication or therapy for some people. That’s the foundation of the Exercise is Medicine (EIM) initiative - a global movement encouraging healthcare professionals to treat physical activity like any other part of a care plan, especially for long-term conditions like depression and anxiety. With so much solid evidence emerging-both globally and right here in South Africa, it is clear that we need to start taking prescribing exercise seriously as part of mental health care. We need to prescribe exercise as deliberately and clearly as any other treatment, with standardised messaging and By Dr Natalia Neophytou Lecturer Exercise Science and Sports Medicine WITS University MOVEMENT AS MEDICINE: : HOW EXERCISE CAN SUPPORT PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY MHM | 2025 | Volume 12 | Issue 3 | Movement as Medicine: How Exercise Can Support Patients with Depression and Anxiety MHM 18 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 2025 | Issue 3 H