Exercise can be as effective as a second medication for as many as half of depressed patients whose condition has not been cured by a single antidepressant medication.

“Many people who start on an antidepressant medication feel better after they begin treatment, but they still don’t feel completely well or as good as they did before they became depressed,” said Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, professor of psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and the study’s lead author. “This study shows that exercise can be as effective as adding another medication. Many people would rather use exercise than add another drug, particularly as exercise has a proven positive effect on a person’s overall health and well-being.”

http://www8.utsouthwestern.edu/utsw/cda/dept353744/files/651304.html