Exercise the best anti-depressant: Doctor

NAGPUR: Exercise, be it moderate or low intensity, works as the best anti-depressant. With regular exercise for at least three days a week, remission of depression (return to normal functioning) can be achieved within 12 weeks, said senior psychiatrist Dr Nikhil Pande, who took over as president of Nagpur Psychiatric Society (NPS) on Sunday. Dr Pande was delivering the late Dr KausarAbbasi oration.
“High-intensity exercise releases the body’s feel-good chemicals called endorphins, resulting in the ‘runner’s high’ that joggers report,” said Dr Pande while presenting six cases of depression in different age groups and different professions in which exercise helped a lot.

The psychiatrist further said that exercise may be considered an alternative to anti-depressants for the treatment of depression in older patients. “Initially, medicines may show rapid therapeutic response, but after 16 weeks of treatment, exercise is equally effective in depression,” said Dr Pande.
Dr Abhishek Mamarde took over as honorary secretary of PSN. Together, they also revealed that the PSN will launch public-centric events ahead in the year.
“People in Nagpur and Vidarbha don’t identify and accept the symptoms of psychiatric illnesses. Secondly, those who accept such problems, don’t know which doctor is to be consulted. So, PSN will reach the patients this year with proper information,” said Dr Mamarde.
Nilesh Shah, head of the psychiatry department at Sion Hospital in Mumbai, spoke about lifestyle changes to avoid dementia in old age. “Cognitive decline is bound to happen with ageing. But, if you keep your brain active and increase your cognitive reserve considerably, you may not suffer from memory loss for long,” he said.
Dr Shah suggested measures like meditation, diet, sleep, good love and married life, physical and mental activities, and social engagements for all to prevent dementia and cognitive decline in older age.“Regular dancing reduces the risk of dementia by 76%, which is twice as much as reading. Doing Crossword puzzles at least four days a week reduces this risk by 47%,” he said while referring many international studies.
Psychiatrist Dr Sudhir Bhave was the guest of honor for the function. One of the founders of PSN, he praised the work of the society and Dr Nikhil Pande.