Physical Activity Diminishes Symptomatic Decline in Chronic Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review.

Physical Activity Diminishes Symptomatic Decline in Chronic Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review.
Psychopharmacol Bull. 2017 Sep 15;47(4):41-52
Authors: Tarpada SP, Morris MT
Abstract
Physical activity has been shown to positively influence a number of parameters in chronic schizophrenia, including cognition, social well being, and quality of life. Here, we present a systematic review of randomized controlled trials reporting on reduction of positive and negative symptoms using PANSS grading after the implementation of a physical activity protocol. Review of 64 articles yielded 6 relevant to our discussion. We found that physical activity significantly improved aggregate total PANSS score as well as positive symptoms PANSS score. While negative PANSS score showe a trend toward improvement, this was nonsignificant. Overall, we find the various forms of physical activity discussed within to be an appropriate adjunct to standard pharmacotherapy for the reduction of symptoms in chronic schizophrenia.
PMID: 28936008 [PubMed - in process]

Source: Psychopharmacology Bulletin - September 24, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Tags: Psychopharmacol Bull Source Type: research