Why Gyms Belong in Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities

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A new study suggests that psychiatric facilities–especially inpatient units–may better serve and treat their patients by including exercise as an integral part of the mental health services provided. Specifically, Tomasi, Gates, and Reyns (2019) built a gym for approximately 100 patients in a medical center's inpatient psychiatric unit. The researchers introduced 60-minute structured exercise and nutrition education programs into the patients' treatment plans, and the results were promising. Patients reported lower levels of anger, anxiety, and depression, higher self-esteem, and overall improved moods.

The study's findings aren't a total surprise to the staff of many existing psychiatric facilities. As a psychologist who has worked in psychiatric hospitals over the past 20 years, I've worked with patients in various facilities that incorporate a "yard" of sorts and a few facilities that offered access to a swimming pool. (Note that some of the facilities I've worked in with a pool accepted government-issued insurance, so it is not only expensive, private psychiatric facilities that occasionally offer such exercise modalities.) The fact that some inpatient psychiatric facilities already incorporate some type of exercise facility reflects that individuals in the position of funding—or seeking funding—for psychiatric facilities understand the value and need for exercise in psychiatric care, especially in the care of individuals suffering from severe or acute mental illness. While a pool may pose a deterrent for some patients who aren't comfortable getting into the water for a variety of reasons, a gym allows for a wide range of exercises and doesn't pose some of the challenges related to how the patient dresses for the activity.

The new study about the use of gyms is important in that it urges a dialogue about exercise in considering what is the most efficacious treatment in inpatient psychiatric treatment. Previous research shows that it's not only psychiatric patients whose mental health and mood, specifically, benefits from exercise. A nonclinical study by Hassmén, Koivula, and Uutela (2000) found that individuals who exercised more than two times per week experienced reductions not only in depressive symptoms, but also in cynical distrust, anger, and stress when compared to individuals who exercised less often.

If nonclinical populations can experience mental health and mood benefits from exercise, isn't it even more critical that inpatient psychiatric programs utilize structured exercise to help those whose mental health is in a state of crisis?