CLINICAL CONDITIONS EXERCISE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF

MENTAL HEALTH

Where do you live? In a city, town or vil- lage? In a house, bungalow or flat? Or on deeper reflection do you live in your own head? When you think about it we all live in our own minds because it is here that we perceive reality, experience emotion and even talk to ourselves. When things go wrong with our minds we find it hard to separate reality from fantasy, feel depressed and anxious or can only hear negative self-talk. In simple terms when things go wrong people find that the qual- ity of their lives is destroyed, that they become isolated and withdrawn and, for some, suicidal thoughts begin to creep into their consciousness. A useful starting point when thinking about mental health prob- lems is to recognise that they do not just happen to ‘other people’ and that from time to time we all feel depressed, stressed or anxious. The question then is can exer- cise help us and the people we care for feel better?

The challenge Mental health is not just about diseases such as schizophrenia and manic depres-

18 SportEX

DEFINING MENTAL HEALTH Mental health is a positive sense of wellbeing and the ability to cope with the pressure of life. It is about people being able to enjoy life to the full and have respect and esteem for themselves and others.

sion, it also embraces the positive dimen- sions of emotional and spiritual wellbeing and happiness. Not only are people with good mental health more likely to be enjoying life now but they are also better equipped to cope with problems such as divorce, redundancy and bereavement than those with poor mental health. Unfortunately the prevalence of mental health problems is high and is growing. It is estimated that 25% of the population seek medical help annually for mental health problems. Suicide rates for men aged 15-24 rose by 85% between 1980 and 1990 (1). The estimated cost to the NHS of providing treatment and services to mental health patients is staggering, in 1992/93 it cost £1.93 billion. The drug budget alone for 1993 was £201.4 million (2).

The evidence Somerset Health Authority recently com- missioned a consensus statement on phys- ical activity and mental health. This pro- ject was co-ordinated by Professor Stuart Biddle (University of Loughborough), Professor Ken Fox (University of Bristol) and Dr Steven Boutcher (De-Montford University) with senior academics review- ing the evidence under the following head- ings: ● depression ● anxiety and stress reactivity ● emotion and mood ● self-esteem ● cognitive functioning ● psychological dysfunction

While these statements will not be pub- lished until the summer of 2000 they pre-