RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder
JF BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP bcr-2018-225007
DO 10.1136/bcr-2018-225007
VO 2018
A1 Christoffer van Tulleken
A1 Michael Tipton
A1 Heather Massey
A1 C Mark Harper
YR 2018
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-225007.abstract
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.