How does physical activity affect the health of those with bipolar disorder? Gemma McCullough, 澳门银银河网上官方登录的一名博士生和澳门银银河网上官方登录的双相情感障碍研究网络(BDRN)正在进行研究,以找出体育活动是否以及如何对双相情感障碍患者有益.
Being physically active has many well-known physical health benefits, 比如保持健康, 提高核心强度, and managing and maintaining a healthy weight. 定期进行体育锻炼还可以降低患某些疾病的风险,如II型糖尿病, 心血管病, obesity, and certain cancers.
In recent years, 研究人员调查了体育活动和心理健康之间的联系. Being physically active through the form of specific exercise, or making certain lifestyle changes can provide:
- Social companionship
- 成就感
- Opportunities to enjoy the green outdoors
- The chance to take some time out to de-stress.
Due to the collective benefits of regular physical activity, 现在,它还被认为是对抗抑郁和焦虑等常见心理健康问题的保护因素.
尽管知道体育活动对澳门银银河网上官方登录的身体健康和心理健康有好处, 澳门银银河网上官方登录中的许多人发现要达到每周推荐的运动量并不容易. 首席医疗官的报告(见图片摘要)建议,18岁以上的成年人每周应至少进行75至150分钟的中度至剧烈运动, 每周至少进行两次旨在改善平衡和增强力量的活动.
However, 目前尚不清楚身体活动水平如何影响患有躁郁症的人, where individuals experience both severely high and low moods.
理解双相情感障碍
双相情感障碍的特点是情绪高涨的时期(称为躁狂),通常, contrasting episodes of depression.
尽管人们通常认为双相情感障碍只是“前一分钟高兴,下一分钟悲伤”,’ or as ‘someone who has lots of mood swings,“大多数双相情感障碍患者会经历与特定情绪状态相关的离散期症状(称为发作)。”, with periods of wellness in between. However, 有些人确实会频繁发作或“快速循环”,而另一些人则会经历所谓的“情绪不稳定”,他们的情绪每天都在快速变化,甚至在同一天内. Bipolar disorder is therefore a complex and ever-changing mood disorder, which affects around 1% of the population worldwide.
We do not know exactly what causes bipolar disorder, but it has been shown to be a multi-factorial condition, 这意味着疾病在个体中的表现有几个因素, 比如家族史, and a range of social, 心理和环境因素也可能引发情绪发作.
A group photo of our Mood Disorders Research Group team here at the University.
The Bipolar Disorder Research Network (BDRN) 澳门银银河网上官方登录的主要兴趣是更多地了解双相情感障碍的原因. 这就是体育活动可能在双相情感障碍患者的情绪调节方面发挥重要作用的地方, 众所周知,有规律的体育锻炼对澳门银银河网上官方登录的心理健康和幸福有益, and protecting against depression
所以我的研究在哪里?
在过去三年里, 我一直在与BDRN合作进行一个博士研究项目,试图了解这些关系是什么, if any, 在体育活动之间, inactivity, and mood 双相情感障碍患者.
我研究的目的是试图回答这样的问题:“首先发生变化的是什么?, 情绪或身体活动水平?“回答这个问题可能有助于理解较低的体育活动水平如何影响抑郁症, and whether higher physical activity levels impact on mania.
澳门银银河网上官方登录如何调查呢?
为了探究这些问题, 我对双相情感障碍患者进行了一系列初步采访,以探索他们认为自己的活动水平和情绪之间的关系.
Many participants talked about routines, 药物治疗的影响, 体育活动是一种管理情绪的有效方式:当他们感到沮丧时,他们会努力变得更活跃, and less active when they felt manic. 访谈还揭示了体育活动的真正挑战, inactivity and mood, 保持平衡. This is particularly interesting, as we typically think of physical activity as a completely positive thing, and inactivity as a negative thing, however these interviews provided evidence of physical activity being unhelpful for mania, but helpful for depression, and inactivity being helpful for mania, but unhelpful for depression.
In order to explore physical activity, inactivity and mood in more detail, 然后向50多名BDRN参与者提供可穿戴活动监测器和情绪日记, 允许他们在7天内监测和跟踪他们的活动水平和情绪.
参与者认为这是一项重要的研究,并提供了他们日常情绪变化和活动水平的非常详细的描述. 我目前正在将这些数据与采访反馈相结合, 以及一系列的问卷调查,以更全面地了解体育活动之间的关系, 不活动和情绪症状, 双相情感障碍患者.
我的研究结果可以用来指导针对双相情感障碍患者的体育活动干预, 以及帮助双相情感障碍患者平衡具有挑战性的情绪症状. 我的研究还将深入了解体育活动和不活动在双相情感障碍病因和特定症状表达中的作用.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my research supervisors: Derek Peters教授 (Director of Studies), Professor Lisa Jones and Eleanor Bradley教授, as well as the participants and members of the Bipolar Disorder Research Network.
Gemma is a full time PhD student at the 澳门银银河网上官方登录. 她是澳门银银河网上官方登录研究生协会的成员,也是该协会的研究生会员 英国心理学会.
本博客所表达的所有观点都是学术人员自己的观点,不代表观点, policies or opinions of the 澳门银银河网上官方登录 or any of its partners.