The intersection of exercise science, psychiatry, and psychology represents a dynamic and emerging area of research concerning mental health. Despite considerable advancements in medication and psychotherapy, mental illnesses continue to impose substantial health burdens worldwide, prompting exploration into alternative or complementary treatment strategies. Increasing evidence suggests that physical activity (including both structured exercise and incidental movement) holds substantial therapeutic potential, with benefits attributed largely to mechanisms such as enhancing neuroplasticity, regulating neurotransmission, and reducing inflammation. Recent research has confirmed that regular physical activity significantly alleviates mental health symptoms, enhances cognitive functioning, and improves overall well-being. Concurrently, contemporary shifts in health promotion strategies, leveraging concepts such as active living, active travel, sports tourism, and leisure pursuits, underscore the broader value of physical activity in holistic health enhancement.
Despite these promising findings, critical questions remain regarding optimal physical activity prescriptions, biological underpinnings, and interdisciplinary integration, necessitating deeper exploration. Additionally, while advocating for physical activity’s benefits, we recognize the need to examine potential risks of excessive behaviors (e.g., exercise addiction) to provide balanced evidence.
This Research Topic aims to comprehensively explore the efficacy of physical activity interventions in preventing, managing, and treating various mental illnesses. Central objectives involve elucidating optimal methods for integrating physical activity into mental healthcare settings, identifying underlying biological and psychological mechanisms, and assessing the interplay between physical activity and other therapeutic approaches, including pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions. Research questions guiding this topic include determining the specific therapeutic effects associated with different types and intensities of physical activity, understanding synergistic benefits with conventional treatments, and evaluating the broader socio-cultural and health-promoting dimensions of sport and leisure engagement.
To gather further insights within the scope of exercise interventions for mental health, submissions should focus primarily on interdisciplinary and evidence-based approaches, considering physiological and psychological dimensions, intervention methodologies, and socio-cultural contexts. We invite contributions that address, but are not limited to:
• Therapeutic effectiveness of specific physical activity modalities for various mental health conditions
• Optimal intensity and duration of physical activity in therapeutic settings (dose-response relationship)
• Biological mechanisms mediating therapeutic benefits of physical activity on mental health
• Integration and synergistic potential of combined physical activity and pharmacological or psychotherapeutic interventions
• Impacts of physical activity on cognitive functions and overall psychological resilience
• Health promotion and preventive care through active travel and leisure activities
• Tailored physical activity programs and outcomes in specialized populations, including older adults
• Dose-response relationships, including risks of excessive engagement
Keywords: Exercise intervention, Mental Health, Psychiatric treatment, Neuroplasticity, Mechanisms of exercise therapy
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
