Expert profile
Dr. Nicholas Fabiano
Psychiatry resident in Canada; researcher on exercise and mental health
Exercise and depression • exercise prescription • mental and physical health
1Discussion
119 minAnalysed
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About the expert
Focus: How to prescribe exercise for depression, and what the trial evidence does and does not show
Dr. Nicholas Fabiano is a psychiatry resident in Canada who has written extensively on exercise and mental health. Emphasizes prescribing exercise as carefully as medication, using the frequency, intensity, time and type framework and starting with small, enjoyable goals. Draws primarily from meta-analyses and randomized trials, and has co-authored work correcting exaggerated media claims about exercise and depression.
Expert discussions with Dr. Nicholas Fabiano
Is exercise as good as antidepressants for depression?
For mild to moderate depression, exercise can reduce symptoms substantially, and some trials find effects similar to antidepressants or therapy. It is not 1.5 times better, as some headlines claimed, and evidence for severe depression is thin. Sticking with it is the hard part, so plans that start small and fit what you enjoy may work best.