Citation

Lenz TL. Am. J. Lifestyle Med. 2010; 4(5): 413-415.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1559827610373733

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Research has shown that exercise can improve the symptoms associated with depression, in part by influencing many of the same chemicals that antidepressants do, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Medication adherence research shows that patients who are depressed are less likely than nondepressed patients to adhere to their drug therapy, even for medications that are not related to depression. It is presumable, then, that patients with depression may have difficulty adhering to their healthy lifestyle behaviors as well. The purpose of this article is to discuss medication adherence and its possible effects on the management of depression and lifestyle medicine activities as well as the role that pharmacists have in adherence to lifestyle medicine activities.