Given these data, exercise has the potential to dually (i.e., mental and physical health outcomes) benefit individuals who have a mood disorder and comorbid anxiety. There have been several studies that have concluded that exercise is an effective adjunctive treatment for anxiety [21, 24, 69–73]. Specifically, exercise was as effective as psychotherapy in the treatment of anxiety and nearly as effective as pharmacotherapy. Broocks and colleagues found similar results in a randomized controlled study of exercise compared to clomipramine or placebo in 46 outpatients with panic disorder [71]. In particular, exercise was more effective than placebo in alleviating anxiety and depressive symptoms, but was not as effective as clomipramine [71]. Another study found that exercise was an effective adjunctive treatment to group CBT for anxiety with the most pronounced effects in patients diagnosed with social phobia [24]. In summary, there is strong evidence supporting the use of adjunctive exercise interventions for the treatment of comorbid anxiety in individuals with mood disorders.
