January 8, 2026

expert reaction to exercise having similar results as therapy for treating depression

A systematic review published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews looks at exercise and therapy for the treatment of depression. 

Dr Ed Beveridge, the Presidential Lead for Physical Health at the Royal College of Psychiatrists said:

“This study reinforces our knowledge that exercise can benefit people who have depression, and it is important that anyone who has a mental illness is provided with equitable access to physical activity opportunities.

“Other lifestyle changes, such as improving diet and sleep, can also have a positive impact on people’s mental wellbeing. 

“However, people can experience a range of symptoms depending on the severity of their depression and exercise should not be seen as a replacement for therapy, medication and other forms of professional treatment.

“Depression is often linked to difficult life circumstances, both past and present and for this reason treatment needs to take a person-centred, holistic approach which addresses social and psychological difficulties along with physical health and medication. 

“We would advise anyone thinking of stopping their treatment to speak with their doctor first.” 

Dr Jeff Lambert, Associate Professor in Health Psychology, University of Bath said:

“This is a well-conducted Cochrane review, using rigorous methods to identify and analyse the available evidence. However, as the authors note, its conclusions are limited by the quality of the trials it includes. Many of the exercise studies were small and had methodological weaknesses, and when the analysis is restricted to the most robust trials, the apparent benefit of exercise for depression becomes smaller, although still statistically significant. There is some evidence suggesting that exercise may be no less effective than psychological therapy or antidepressant medication, but this conclusion is based on a small number of studies and therefore comes with considerable uncertainty. The review also cannot tell us confidently whether exercise works better for more or less severe depression, whether effectiveness varies by exercise type, or whether people should switch from medication or therapy to exercise alone.

“It is also important to note that this review mainly focused on structured, often supervised exercise programmes, which tend to attract motivated volunteers who are willing and able to take part. This limits how well the findings apply to the wider population of people with depression. The review did not include interventions based on exercise advice or behavioural support, which are much more common in routine care. For example, the authors excluded the large UK TREAD trial, in which people with depression in primary care were randomised to usual care or usual care plus support from a physical activity facilitator. This means the findings reflect the effects of organised exercise under trial conditions, rather than the effectiveness of helping people gradually become more active in everyday life in ways that align with their goals and values.

“In real-world practice, and in the absence of more pragmatic studies, physical activity is probably best viewed as a helpful option or addition to existing treatments, rather than as a direct replacement for established care. Further high-quality studies that combine behavioural support with routine care settings are still needed.”

Dr Brendon Stubbs, Senior Researcher, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London (KCL), said:

“This updated Cochrane review provides robust evidence that exercise can moderately reduce depressive symptoms in adults compared to no treatment or control interventions, with effects appearing comparable to psychological therapies or antidepressants in the limited direct comparisons available.

“This aligns with prior systematic reviews and meta-analyses, strengthening the case for exercise as an evidence-based option in depression management, though long-term data remains limited (this is common for other treatments also).

“In clinical practice, this supports integrating exercise into treatment plans for depression, given its favourable adverse event profile compared to pharmacological side effects.

“Ultimately, for people with depression, the evidence indicates that exercise may offer similar short-term benefits to therapy or medication for some, but decisions on switching or combining approaches should be made collaboratively with healthcare providers, considering individual circumstances. However, it is time for the health service to adapt and ensure that exercise is part of the standard toolkit of options for people with depression.”

‘Exercise for depression’ by Andrew J Clegg et al. was published in Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews at 01:00 UK time on Thursday the 8^th of January 2026. 

DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004366.pub7.

Declared interests

Dr Ed Beveridge: “no conflict of interests to declare”

Dr Jeff Lambert: “Editorial Board of Mental Health and Physical Activity. Jeff has part of his time funded through the NIHR Mental Health Research Group at The University of Bath, reference NIHR207583. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.”

Dr Brendon Stubbs: “Editorial Board of the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Ageing Research Reviews, Mental Health and Physical Activity, The Journal of Evidence Based Medicine, and The Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. Brendon has received honorarium from a co-edited book on exercise and mental illness (Elsevier), an associated education course and unrelated advisory work from ASICS and FitXR LTD.“