Physical Activity And Mental Health
Series in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Series

This text is an effort to summarize and synthesize the existing research dealing with the influence of physical activity on mental health, as well as the potential mechanisms underlying psychological effects. Contributions from some of the leading experts in the field deal with mental health through prevention, exercise prescription, exercise adherence, drug therapy and exercise, the influence of physical activity on depression, anxiety, and self-esteem, and the paradoxical effects of excessive amounts of exercise.

One: General Principles; 1: Methodological Considerations; 2: Prevention of Sedentary Lifestyles: Rationale and Methods; 3: Exercise Prescription; 4: Adherence to Physical Activity; 5: Drug Therapy and Physical Activity; Two: Psychological Responses to Physical Activity; 6: Antidepressant Effects of Physical Activity; 7: Anxiolytic Effects of Physical Activity; 8: Physical Activity and Self-Esteem; 9: Overtraining and Staleness; Three: Hypothesized Mechanisms; 10: The Endorphin Hypothesis; 11: The Serotonin Hypothesis; 12: The Norepinephrine Hypothesis; 13: The Thermogenic Hypothesis; 14: Conclusion: State of the Field and Future Research

Professional Practice & Development

William P. Morgan