A Guide To What Works For Anxiety Disorders - Mental Health First Aid

ExerciseOur ratingOur ratingGAD? Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia ?PTSD and ASD? Specific Phobias ?Social Phobia? OCD ?ARE THERE ANY RISKS?There is a risk of injury when exercising. Anyone considering a majorchange in exercise patterns is advised to consult their doctor.RECOMMENDATIONMost of the studies of exercise for anxiety disorders have been of poorquality. It appears excercise may be helpful, but better-quality studiesare needed to be sure.WHAT IS IT?The two main types of exercise are aerobic (exercises the heart andlungs, such as in jogging) and anaerobic (strengthens muscles, such asin weight training).HOW IS IT MEANT TO WORK?This is unclear, but it can be helpful for mild anxiety in people withoutanxiety disorders. It may work by changing brain chemistry, improvingsleep, improving coping ability, or as a distraction from worries.Exercise can cause physical symptoms similar to panic attacks (e.g.shortness of breath). This can be helpful for Panic Disorder becausethe symptoms are experienced in a controlled way.DOES IT WORK?PTSD and ASDThree small poor-quality studies have evaluated aerobic exercise forPTSD. Two studies were in adolescents and one was in adults. Allthree found exercise was beneficial for PTSD. None of the studies hada comparison group that received no treatment, so it is hard to drawconclusions.Panic Disorder and AgoraphobiaOne good-quality study has been carried out of exercise for PanicDisorder. It compared 10 weeks of regular aerobic exercise (running)with an antidepressant drug or placebo (dummy pills) in 46 adults withPanic Disorder. Exercise was more effective than placebo, but lesseffective than the drug.OCDOne small study reported improvements in OCD symptoms after anaerobic exercise program. However, a third of participants found theexercise too hard and stopped treatment. Another small study foundthat adding a 12-week aerobic exercise program to treatment withdrugs or therapy improved OCD symptoms. Neither of these studieshad a comparison group, so it is hard to draw conclusions.Other anxiety disordersThere is no evidence on whether exercise works for GAD, SocialPhobia, Specific Phobias or OCD.46