Exercise Health and Mental Health Emerging Relationships

As alternative approaches to health and social care gain wider acceptance, exercise is being adopted as a strategy for mental health promotion in a variety of settings. Exercise, Health and Mental Health provides an introduction to this emerging field and a platform for future research and practice. Written by internationally acclaimed exercise, health and medical scientists, this is the first systematic review of the evidence for the psychological role of exercise in: treating and managing mental health problems including dementia, schizophrenia, drug and alcohol dependence; coping with chronic clinical conditions including cancer, heart disease and HIV/AIDS; and enhancing well-being in the general population - by improving sleep, assisting in smoking cessation, and as a way of addressing broader social issues such as antisocial behaviour. Adopting a consistent and user-friendly format, the research findings for each topic are summarized and critically examined for their implications.