1. What are the DSM-IV (now DSM-V) criteria for major depressive disorders (nine symptoms)? How does this approach contrast with the Research Domain Criteria Initiative from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)?
2. What does it mean to say that anxiety and depression are comorbid conditions and why do you think are they so? What is the “critical” brain region that has been studied in relation to anxiety and depression?
3. What is known from the cross-sectional and prospective studies regarding the association between (lack of) physical activity and depression?
4. Can exercise be useful in the treatment of clinical levels of depression? What evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is there to support this answer?
5. Relative to drug therapy or psychotherapy, what are some reasons for and benefits of using physical activity as a treatment for mental health problems?
6. Describe the studies and findings from the Blumenthal et al. and Babyak et al. studies comparing exercise with pharmacotherapy and combined treatments. Although these two studies were published in 1999 and 2000, they remain some of the strongest evidence in support of exercise as a treatment for MDD.
7. If one was to prescribe exercise to an individual suffering from depression, what would the prescription entail (i.e., type, frequency, intensity, duration)? [Optimal dosage – see Rethorst and Trivedi recommendations)
8. In the domain of exercise and anxiety/depression reduction, a number of plausible mechanisms/explanations have been proposed. Which hypothesis, or mechanism of change, do you feel best highlights or explains the influence of exercise on depression? Explain your answer relative to at least two other hypotheses.
