PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Christoffer van Tulleken
AU  - Michael Tipton
AU  - Heather Massey
AU  - C Mark Harper
TI  - Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder
AID  - 10.1136/bcr-2018-225007
DP  - 2018 Aug 01
TA  - BMJ Case Reports
PG  - bcr-2018-225007
VI  - 2018
4099  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-225007.short
4100  - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-225007.full
AB  - A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Symptoms were resistant to fluoxetine and then citalopram. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly open (cold) water swimming was trialled. This led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free.