Exercise for adolescents and young people with mental illness

Abstract Adolescents and young people face major challenges to their mental health and well-being, with the age of onset of most mental disorders occurring during the age range of 12–25 years. This is a critical time to intervene to promote early recovery, limit negative consequences to social and vocational functioning, and maximize the opportunity to establish positive long-term health-related behaviors. With the current focus on youth mental health on earlier, safer, and potentially less complex interventions, interest in physical activity and exercise interventions has grown. These interventions have also shown to be highly acceptable and nonstigmatizing—factors that are important to young people seeking mental health treatment. This chapter reviews the evidence for exercise interventions for young people experiencing symptoms or a diagnosed mental disorder. The emerging evidence supports the use of exercise interventions in youth mental health; however, further research is required to determine the required type, intensity, duration, and frequency to maximize health and mental health outcomes in young people with mental health concerns.