Physical Activity and Mental Health
The Wellbeing Programme promotes the mental health benefits of physical activity.
Exercise has been associated with reduced anxiety, decreased depression, enhanced mood, improved self-worth and body image, and improved cognitive functioning. NICE guidance for depression includes physical exercise as an evidence based intervention for mild depression.
There are significant physical health inequalities faced by people with a mental illness. People with schizophrenia die on average 10 years earlier than the general population. Depression increases the risk of heart disease by four times. Better access to gyms and similar facilities provides equal opportunities for activity which might tackle this.
Many people with a mental illness are discriminated against by others and often stigmatise themselves. Introducing gyms within mental health units gives people a chance to try out such facilities in a less threatening environment. We then need to ensure effective partnerships with community facilities so that people then continue to exercise in similar settings once they have left a mental health unit
This guide is based on how a gym facility was established by John Warden, Occupational Therapist at The Woodlands Unit. The Woodlands Unit is an adult acute in-patient mental health unit based on the Queen Mary’s site and managed by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. It represents the innovative work undertaken in the trust to promote physical health and greater inclusion for people with a mental illness. It is hoped that other trusts find this guide helpful in replicating this good work.