These habits can cut the risk of depression in half, a new study finds – NPR
Antidepressant medicines tend to be faster in treating an episode of depression, says Douglas Noordsy, a psychiatrist with the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program. “But physical exercise has more durable effects than an antidepressant does,” he says.
For some people, medication gives them a benefit in the beginning, but then it fades over time, Noordsy says. “Whereas a lifestyle change can have a more permanent and lasting effect.” Noordsy and his colleagues use a range of evidence-based recommendations and tools, from medicines to therapy to behavioral approaches including fitness, nutrition, sleep and stress management, to help empower patients.