Hi Mary K - Physical activity - running, walking,...

2009-10-15T19:54:00.943-04:00

Hi Mary K -

Physical activity - running, walking, swimming, and more - have been shown to be effective for some people who are experiencing depression. And psychological therapies like CBT have been compared to antidepressants, and for some subsets of patients these non-pharmacological treatments stack up very well. In my experience some folks were adamant about not wanting to use medications. There were others for whom the idea of treatment meant medication alone.

You're right that the label is important. "Mental conditioning" sounds like physical conditioning, and will appeal to people who don't want to use the illness model for what they are experiencing.

Comparing treatments that are decidedly different - like medication and exercise - is technically challenging, but in principle it's an important for of CER.

Good luck in your venture!

Best

Jim

I love the idea of CER. I've discussed the option ...

2009-10-15T13:04:37.419-04:00

I love the idea of CER. I've discussed the option of introducing a physical exercise therapy into our inpatient milieu or developing a intensive physical exercise day program for our transitional unit to go head-to-head with anti-depressants. If we were to then label these innovations "mental conditioning programs," could we possibly remove the stigma of mental illness as well as decrease or eliminate the use of medications? And physical exercise doesn't have any side effects....

Comments on Health Care Organizational Ethics: Why Comparative Effectiveness Research is so Impor...

Hi Mary K - Physical activity - running, walking,...

I love the idea of CER. I've discussed the option ...