Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on "Healthwatch," we've been talking about mental health. The mind is just as important as the body when it comes to overall well-being. Psychiatrists at UT Southwestern believe the connection between mind and body may be key to curing major depression.
They're conducting a study to measure the effectiveness of a regular exercise program used in conjunction with certain anti-depressant medications. The medications are effective in helping people feel less depressed, but they don't bring patients entirely back to the way they felt before they became depressed.
Researchers believe that exercise in addition to medication may help the medication work better and possibly even bring about a full remission of the depression. Other studies have shown that exercise can be effective for improving symptoms of depression.
The important thing to remember is that mental health is important to your overall health.
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Jan. 2005
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