Aerobic and non‐aerobic forms of exercise in the treatment of anxiety disorders

Abstract We compared aerobic and non‐aerobic forms of exercise in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Seventy‐nine inpatients took part in the study. All met the DSM‐III‐R criteria for anxiety disorders, 71 per cent had the diagnosis panic disorder with agorphobia. Patients were randomly assigned to the two physical training conditions, aerobic and non‐aerobic, by block randomization with respect to sex. Seventy patients completed the trial, and exercised for one hour three times a week for eight weeks. There was a significant increase in aerobic capacity in the aerobic group, but no change in the non‐aerobic group. Both groups achieved similar and significant reductions in anxiety scores, but the differences between the groups were small and not statistically significant. There were four exercise‐related dropouts in the aerobic group, none in the non‐aerobic. All dropouts had the diagnosis panic disorder with agoraphobia. The study indicates that intensive aerobic exercise, with resulting increase in aerobic capacity, has no specific effect on the anxiety level in patients with anxiety disorders. The reductions in anxiety scores which in previous studies have been shown to be associated with physical fitness training are most probably mediated via psychological mechanisms, like distraction and mastering.