There’s also a lot of people who take studies like these and use them to argue that medications are all bad and everyone should just exercise instead. The Maha nuts and the naturalistic fallacy lovers they spawned from are prime examples. Mental health conditions that are in the category of “normal thing to a disordered degree” such as depression, anxiety, and adhd have a ton of people who just blanket oppose medication as a solution. And I think a lot of people react to these studies as though they’re those people.
Like, I’m a huge fan of regular exercise and time in nature. I think both are vital to most people’s mental health and if possible are a great first step for many mental illnesses. But I depend on prescription stimulants to be able to do such things consistently and safely. My first step is meds, and the lifestyle stuff is important and built on that foundation.
There’s also a lot of people who take studies like these and use them to argue that medications are all bad and everyone should just exercise instead. The Maha nuts and the naturalistic fallacy lovers they spawned from are prime examples. Mental health conditions that are in the category of “normal thing to a disordered degree” such as depression, anxiety, and adhd have a ton of people who just blanket oppose medication as a solution. And I think a lot of people react to these studies as though they’re those people.
Like, I’m a huge fan of regular exercise and time in nature. I think both are vital to most people’s mental health and if possible are a great first step for many mental illnesses. But I depend on prescription stimulants to be able to do such things consistently and safely. My first step is meds, and the lifestyle stuff is important and built on that foundation.