Kirrily Gould presents on the role of exercise in mental health therapy

17 May 2018

21 May 2018

In March Exercise Physiologist Kirrily Gould presented her Masters research on the effects of exercise on alcohol urges and cravings at the Exercise Sport Science Australia Research to Practice Conference, representing St John of God Richmond Hospital and the University of NSW.

"As many people know, mental health has a significant impact on global health with substance abuse affecting up to 20 per cent of the Australian population," Kirrily said.

"So it is important that we draw attention to all treatment modalities available to help optimize a client’s recovery."

Kirrily presented alongside four other accredited exercise physiologists who all spoke about the role of exercise as an additional therapy for severe mental illness.

"It was evident by the end of not only this talk, but all of the presentations that exercise is a form of medicine that has significant benefits not only on the individual’s physical health, but more importantly their mental health," she said.

"Reports show that there are significant improvements in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, urges and cravings and managing PTSD.

"At St John of God Richmond Hospital we strive to increase the engagement of exercise physiologists and exercise in mental health treatment facilities.

"My presentation was very well received and I look forward to seeing the growth of focus on exercise as medicine in mental health treatment."