The benefits of physical exercises for mental health in the COVID-19 era: an indirect role for suicide prevention

To the Editor, Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the incidence of suicidal thoughts and attempts has increased because of the disease worldwide, as reported by previous literature (Ivbijaro et al. 2021). The reason for this is multi-factorial and can be attributed to mental illness (i.e., depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation), psycho-social stressors (i.e., social isolation and loneliness, social stigma, unemployment and financial problems, fear of death, and uncertainty of future), and neurobiological factors (i.e., ischemic attacks, headache) (Ivbijaro et al. 2021). Because of this, to plan effective suicide prevention strategies for COVID-19 survivors, which is a real challenge, a comprehensive and integrated multidisciplinary approach is required, as no single approach can have an impact on a complex issue like this. In this letter, the exercise-based approach for suicide prevention is highlighted, as other approaches are beyond the scope of this context. Physical exercises not only improve physical health, but also have the potential to improve mental health during COVID-19 illness by relieving psychological stress, reducing depressive symptoms, and relieving anxiety associated with the disease (Hu et al. 2020), which possibly can reduce the incidence of suicidal ideation. Regular physical exercises were associated with better mental health and reduced suicidal attempts or self-harm in a dose-response manner. That is, the greater the exercise dose is, in terms of exercise frequency and duration but not intensity, the better is the mental health and the lower the suicidality (Grasdalsmoen et al. 2020). The therapeutic effects of physical exercises were The benefits of physical exercises for mental health in the COVID-19 era: an indirect role for suicide prevention