OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effective of the physical exercise as therapeutical complement in the depressions treatment. METHODS: This clinical assay had the participation of womens patient taken care of for the SUS in the Maringas University Hospital in treatment with antidepressants (n = 18: GC = 9; GE = 9). The research design was elaborated with two sessions of water exercise/week, during 12 weeks. The instrument used was Hamiltons Scale for Depression, applied to the beginning and after 12 weeks of the clinical assay. For statistics analysis the tests of Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney were used. RESULTS: The depression level reduced in the experimental group after 12 weeks (32.66 +/- 3.12 to 24.88 +/- 2.13 points, p = 0.007) and no differences were found in control group (31.11 +/- 3.51 to 30.22 +/- 3.04 points, p = 0.059). After 6 months, it havent significant statistical differences for the control group (31.11 +/- 3.51 for 30.22 +/- 2.81 points, p = 0.201). However, the experimental group returned next to the initiates levels of depression (32.66 +/- 3.12 for 29.66 +/- 1.22 point, p = 0.027). CONCLUSION: In this preliminary study the patients submitted to the physical exercises pratice associated to the conventional treatment to depression had evidenced a significant improvement to that they hadn't pratice physical exercises. The physical effects of the exercises on the depressive symptoms disapeared with the interruption of the physical exercise in the evaluation follow up of 6 months.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• DOI
• PDF locator
• publisher