Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder

A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Symptoms were resistant to fluoxetine and then citalopram. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ case reports 2018-08, Vol.2018, p.bcr-2018-225007
Main Authors: van Tulleken, Christoffer, Tipton, Michael, Massey, Heather, Harper, C Mark
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adult
Anxiety
Anxiety Disorders - therapy
Case reports
Cold
Cytokines
Depressive Disorder, Major - therapy
Exercise
Exercise Therapy - methods
Female
Humans
Hypotheses
Mental depression
Meta-analysis
Novel Treatment (New Drug/Intervention
Established Drug/Procedure in New Situation)
Pain
Patients
Physical fitness
Physiology
Signal transduction
Swimming
Swimming - physiology
Systematic review
Winter
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Summary:A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Symptoms were resistant to fluoxetine and then citalopram. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly open (cold) water swimming was trialled. This led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free.
ISSN:1757-790X
1757-790X
DOI:10.1136/bcr-2018-225007