Tag: SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program

Dallas Morning News: Get back into shape by teaming up with a workout group

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date August 26, 2011

Journalist Leslie Garcia Barker interviewed SMU psychologist Dr. Jasper Smits for an article on exercise in the Dallas Morning News. The August 26 article, “Get back into shape by teaming up with a workout group,” quotes Smits, an associate professor of psychology, on the benefits of a buddy system for motivating people to exercise.

Smits co-wrote with psychologist Michael Otto a new book to help people get regular physical activity, “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Improving Well-Being” (Oxford University Press; $17.95).

In his most recent published research, Smits reported findings that people with an intense fear of the nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath that accompany panic — known as “high anxiety sensitivity” — reacted with less anxiety to a panic-inducing stressor if they had been engaging in high levels of physical activity.

“Anxiety sensitivity is an established risk factor for the development of panic and related disorders,” says SmitsJasper Smits, lead author on the research. “This study suggests that this risk factor may be less influential among persons who routinely engage in high levels of physical activity.”

Read the full story (Dallas Morning News subscription required).

EXCERPT:

By Leslie Barker Garcia
Dallas Morning News

The first time Lisa Vega attempted the swimming part of a triathlon, the waves were so high she climbed into the rescue kayak. The second time, she ran into the lake, had a panic attack and ran back to shore. The third, she rolled onto her back in the water screaming, “I’m drowning!”

People told her to try another hobby. Instead, she joined Tri Junkies. Without the support of this training group, she says, her journey to successful triathlons — including an Ironman — would have been “a lonely, lonely road.”

“I’ve never in my whole life, as nerdy as this sounds, really been part of anything that I really, really felt this good about,” says Vega, 42, a juvenile probation officer in Fort Worth. “I can’t even explain it. It’s natural, it’s comfortable, and it’s fun.”

Eleven years ago, Joany McCrossen and her niece joined a marathon-training class at Luke???s Locker. McCrossen subsequently completed that White Rock marathon and two others, plus a dozen or so half-marathons.

“Without the class,” says McCrossen, 54, who now coaches for Luke’s, “I would have lost motivation long ago.”

At the Jewish Community Center, group fitness director Terri Arends stresses to her instructors the importance of developing “connection, camaraderie and cohesiveness” in their classes.

“Those elements are so powerful &#8212 a powerful and positive drug,” Arends says.

Anyone who has belonged to a group, or even exercised on a regular basis with a partner, knows this firsthand. You count on each other, you look out for each other; your workouts just aren???t the same alone. Participants return week after week, season after season, to training sessions at running stores and workouts with running groups; to yoga and boot-camp and water-exercise classes. They crave the camaraderie, the feeling of belonging.

These friends see them through some of the most physically &#8212 and sometimes emotionally &#8212 challenging times of their lives.

When McCrossen’s husband, Mac, learned he had cancer earlier this year, her running group brought meals, emailed supportive messages and listened to her concerns and frustrations during their workouts. Members of one particular JCC class, led by Brenda Gardner, have been together “through weddings, deaths, newborn babies, multiple sclerosis and cancer,” Arends says.

Jennifer Kimble, training-class coordinator for Run On, encourages camaraderie among group members, suggesting they meet for dinner or for happy hour in addition to running together.

“They’re your cheering squad,” she says. “They’ll get you through long training runs. Some of my best friends are my running buddies.”

Arends, who titled her master’s thesis “Treadmills Are Non-Conversationalists: Group Exercise Programming Speaks,” says that human element is irreplaceable.

She cites a study at Harvard University of two sections of exercisers &#8212 one that worked out as a group, the other solo. Those who worked as a group “had more benefits as far as fitness levels and endurance,” she says. “Their caloric expenditure was higher.”

Jasper Smits is a Southern Methodist University psychologist who studies exercise and its effect on anxiety and depression. “Working out in groups can help increase social support, and that acts as a buffer to many stressors,” says Smits, who co-wrote with psychologist Michael Otto, Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Improving Well-Being (Oxford University Press; $17.95).

“Once you get people to exercise in a group, a buddy system develops. They feel they’re held accountable by others; they’re in this together. Not showing up comes with a cost, and that’s letting someone down.”

Read the full story (Dallas Morning News subscription required).

SMU is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas founded 100 years ago. Today, SMU enrolls nearly 11,000 students who benefit from the academic opportunities and international reach of seven degree-granting schools. For more information see www.smu.edu.

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To speak with an SMU expert or book an SMU guest in the studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Culture, Society & Family Health & Medicine Researcher news SMU In The News

SMU Daily Campus: Study suggests exercise helps anxiety

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date August 24, 2011

SMU student journalist Bethany Suba has covered the research of SMU psychologist Dr. Jasper Smits for The Daily Campus. The August 24 article, “Study suggests exercise helps anxiety,” quotes Smits, an associate professor of psychology, on his research finding that high levels of physical activity can buffer against panic for those who are at risk.

People with an intense fear of the nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath that accompany panic — known as “high anxiety sensitivity” — reacted with less anxiety to the study’s panic-inducing stressor if they had been engaging in high levels of physical activity.

“Anxiety sensitivity is an established risk factor for the development of panic and related disorders,” says Smits. “Our research suggests that this risk factor may be less influential among persons who routinely engage in high levels of physical activity.”

Read the full story in the Daily Campus.

EXCERPT:

By Bethany Suba
The Daily Campus

Haley Cooper, a senior at SMU, started getting night terrors when she was 8 years old. Those night terrors soon lead to problems with anxiety plus the occasional panic attack.
Cooper says she is still affected by her anxiety today but she uses exercise as a way to distract herself when she is stressed.

“Exercise is great to relieve or distract me when I’m stressed, it keeps my mind off anxiety and passes the time so I move past it,” she said.

Studies have shown that exercise has a similar effect on the body as an anti-depressant. Not only does it produce endorphins, exercise also helps improve high blood pressure, and can help prevent diabetes and arthritis.

A recent study, conducted by a team of researchers, including Jasper Smits, SMU psychologist and lead researcher, suggests that exercise may also help people with anxiety and panic attacks.

“If people exercise repeatedly they find that the sensations they were afraid of are benign. Exercise can help them overcome those panics,” Smits said.

He believes that a lot of people experience panic attacks occasionally.

Panic attacks and anxiety are caused by two main factors.

The first is biological factors, such as the fact that some people have a more sensitive alarm system and secondly, psychological factors, the way people fear bodily sensations or the panic itself, Smits said.

In his research on exercise and panic attacks, Smits and his team had a group of students who suffer from panic attacks participate in two weeks of regular exercise, three days a week.

They found that the students were afraid of the sensations associated with exercise because they are similar to those connected with panic attacks.

“When you get on a treadmill you experience the symptoms that people with panic attacks experience,” Smits said, “And when they learn they are safe they begin to overcome panic disorder.”

Read the full story in the Daily Campus.

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Culture, Society & Family Health & Medicine Mind & Brain Researcher news SMU In The News

mlive.com: For Grand Rapids therapists, exercise and counseling promote well being

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date August 4, 2011

Personal health journalist Paul R. Kopenkoskey has covered the research of SMU psychologist Dr. Jasper Smits for the online news site mlive.com of the Grand Rapids Press. The Aug. 1 article, For Grand Rapids therapists, exercise and counseling promote well being, quotes Smits, an associate professor of psychology, on his research finding that high levels of physical activity can buffer against panic for those who are at risk.

“Anxiety sensitivity is an established risk factor for the development of panic and related disorders,” says Smits, lead author on the research. “This study suggests that this risk factor may be less influential among persons who routinely engage in high levels of physical activity.”

Read the full article.

EXCERPT:

Paul R. Kopenkoskey
Grand Rapids Press
Jasper Smits, associate professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and director of the school’s Anxiety Research & Treatment Program, said counseling combined with exercise is an alternative method whose time has come for those seeking relief from anxiety disorders, including shortness of breath, racing heart and dizziness, known as high-anxiety sensitivity.

“People are seeking an established intervention,” said Smits. “A lot of people like the idea of exercise. It’s kind of a mind and body approach that appeals to some people.”

Smits co-authored a book for an August release titled, “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being” (Oxford University Press), which builds on earlier research that indicates exercise improves mood and reduces anxiety, working in a similar capacity to an antidepressant drug.

It’s written for people who are interested in step-by-step guidance on how to start and maintain an exercise program geared toward improving mood, with a particular emphasis on understanding the relationship between mood and motivation.

“We don’t argue for or against the use of physical activity over medication and cognitive therapy, and research doesn’t indicate one method is better than the other, but what we can say is there’s an approach that yields comparable results,” Smits said.

Read the full article.

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Culture, Society & Family Health & Medicine Mind & Brain Researcher news SMU In The News

Men’s Health: Stay Calm through Any Challenge

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date August 4, 2011

Personal health journalist Andrew Katz has covered the research of SMU psychologist Dr. Jasper Smits in the popular magazine Men’s Health. The July 25 article, Stay Calm through Any Challenge, quotes Smits, an associate professor of psychology, on his research finding that high levels of physical activity can buffer against panic for those who are at risk.

Read the full article.

EXCERPT:

Andrew Katz
Men’s Health News

Step up your game, man. A more extreme workout won’t just leave you in better shape — it’ll ease your nerves if you’re at risk for panic attacks.

First, how do you know you might have panic attacks if you’ve never had one? Ask yourself this: Do you jump to the worst-case scenario? Example: Your heart doesn’t just pound — you start to think you’ll have a heart attack, which makes the panic even worse.

If you’ve had this experience, up your activity level, says Jasper Smits, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University, and lead author of the study.

In Smits’s study, 145 adults who never had a panic attack (but answered questions suggesting that they were at risk for one) were put in a situation that usually induces panic, those who reported the most intense and frequent exercise were less anxious compared to their less-active peers. (Sounds fun!)

“Workouts like jogging, biking, and swimming were associated with the least anxiety,” Smits says.

Read the full article.

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Health & Medicine Mind & Brain

Regular exercise may help prevent the development of panic and related disorders

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date July 12, 2011

Findings suggest that high levels of regular physical activity may be a useful intervention to prevent panic and related disorders

Regular exercise may be a useful strategy for helping prevent the development of panic and related disorders, a new study suggests.

People with an intense fear of the nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath that accompany panic — known as “high anxiety sensitivity” — reacted with less anxiety to a panic-inducing stressor if they had been engaging in high levels of physical activity, said researchers at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and the University of Vermont in Burlington.

“Anxiety sensitivity is an established risk factor for the development of panic and related disorders,” said SMU psychologist Jasper Smits, lead author on the research. “This study suggests that this risk factor may be less influential among persons who routinely engage in high levels of physical activity.”

Regular exercise as an alternative or complementary strategy to drugs and psychotherapy
There is already good evidence that exercise can be of help to people who suffer from depression and anxiety problems, say the researchers.

“We’re not suggesting, ‘Exercise instead of pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy,'” Smits said. “Exercise is a useful alternative, particularly for those without access to traditional treatments. Primary care physicians already prescribe exercise for general health, so exercise may have the advantage of helping reach more people in need of treatment for depression and anxiety.”

Smits reported the findings in “The Interplay Between Physical Activity and Anxiety Sensitivity in Fearful Responding to Carbon Dioxide Challenge,” an article that has published online and is in press with the scientific journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

Co-authors include SMU psychology researchers Candyce Tart and David Rosenfield, and University of Vermont psychologist Michael Zvolensky.

New study adds to earlier research finding exercise reduces anxiety
The study builds on findings of earlier research, outlined in “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven strategies for overcoming depression and enhancing well-being” (Oxford University Press, 2011) by psychologists Michael Otto and Jasper Smits. That research indicates exercise improves mood and reduces anxiety, working like “an antidepressant drug.”

Also, a 2008 study by Smits, director of the SMU Anxiety Research & Treatment Program and associate professor in the SMU Psychology Department, and Otto, a professor in Boston University’s Psychology Department, indicated that exercise can also reduce anxiety sensitivity. That research, combined with the new findings, indicates that exercise may be an effective strategy for the prevention and treatment of anxiety disorders.

“Exercise can be a powerful addition to the range of treatments for depression, anxiety and general stress,” said Otto. “And when people exercise to feel good, they are also taking the exact steps they need to benefit their general health.”

Those with high anxiety sensitivity have greater risk of an attack
Anxiety sensitivity is the extent to which individuals fear they will be harmed by anxiety-related bodily sensations such as a racing heart, dizziness and shortness of breath, say the authors.

Research shows that the higher a person’s anxiety sensitivity, the greater their risk for developing panic attacks and related psychological disorders.

“For people who have high anxiety sensitivity, the symptoms of anxiety tend to signal threat,” said Smits. “They worry, ‘I’ll have a panic attack,’ ‘I’ll die,’ ‘I’ll go crazy,’ ‘I’ll lose control’ or ‘I’ll make a fool of myself.’ That’s been widely studied as one of the risk factors for development of anxiety disorders, mostly panic. And it’s a robust risk factor in that it’s been replicated in several studies.”

Physical activity + fear of panic sensations = less reactivity to panic-relevant stressor
For the latest study, the researchers measured anxiety reactivity to a panic-related stressor, namely the inhalation of carbon dioxide-enriched air.

Study participants were 145 adult volunteers who had no history of panic attacks. After completing questionnaires measuring their physical activity and anxiety sensitivity, the participants inhaled a mixture of room air enriched with carbon dioxide, a benign procedure that typically induces a number of bodily sensations, including nausea, racing heart, dizziness, stomachaches and shortness of breath.

After inhalation, participants indicated their level of anxiety in reaction to the sensations.

The results showed that anxiety reactivity to the stressor was dampened among individuals who have been regularly engaging in high levels of physical activity. — Margaret Allen

SMU has an uplink facility located on campus for live TV, radio, or online interviews. To interview Jasper Smits or book him in the SMU studio, call SMU News & Communications at 214-768-7650.

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Health & Medicine Researcher news SMU In The News

Daily Telegraph highlights SMU’s Jasper Smits on exercise and mental health

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date April 12, 2010

Exercies%20for%20anxiety%2C%20swimmer%2C%20150.jpg The Daily Telegraph has taken note of the research of SMU psychologist Jasper Smits, who co-authored a book detailing how exercise can provide relief for people who struggle with depression and anxiety disorders.

“Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health,” says Smits, director of SMU’s Anxiety Research and Treatment Program. “The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be.”

Exercise%20for%20anxiety%2C%20weights%2C%20400.jpg Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University analyzed numerous studies and determined exercise should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.

They presented their findings to researchers and mental health care providers March 6 at the Anxiety Disorder Association of America’s annual conference in Baltimore. Their workshop was based on their therapist guide “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders,” with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009).

The guide draws on dozens of population-based studies, clinical studies and meta-analytic reviews that demonstrate the efficacy of exercise programs, including the authors’ meta-analysis of exercise interventions for mental health and study on reducing anxiety sensitivity with exercise.

Science journalist Richard Alleyne detailed the results of the research in an April 12 article “Less than half an hour of exercise a day helps treat depression” in The Daily Telegraph.

Excerpt:
By Richard Alleyne
Science Correspondent

Researchers found that a workout reduces stress and anger and boosts the sense of physical wellbeing.

They claim physical exercise should be more widely prescribed as a treatment to tackle depressive or anxiety disorders.

Professor Jasper Smits, a psychologist, at the southern Methodist University in Dallas said that physical therapy could be prescribed instead of or as a supplement to medication.

“Exercise can fill the gap for people who can’t receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don’t want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments,” he said.

“Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged.

“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger.

Read the full article

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

Health & Medicine Mind & Brain

Study: Exercise should be prescribed more often for depression, anxiety

Post author By Margaret Allen
Post date April 1, 2010

Exercise is a magic drug for many people with depression and anxiety disorders, according to researchers who analyzed numerous studies, and it should be more widely prescribed by mental health care providers.

“Exercise has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health,” says Jasper Smits, director of the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “The more therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be.”

The traditional treatments of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy don’t reach everyone who needs them, says Smits, an associate professor of psychology.

“Exercise can fill the gap for people who can’t receive traditional therapies because of cost or lack of access, or who don’t want to because of the perceived social stigma associated with these treatments,” he says. “Exercise also can supplement traditional treatments, helping patients become more focused and engaged.”

Exercise%20for%20anxiety%2C%20weights%2C%20400.jpg Smits and Michael Otto, psychology professor at Boston University, presented their findings to researchers and mental health care providers March 6 at the Anxiety Disorder Association of America’s annual conference in Baltimore.

Their workshop was based on their therapist guide “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety Disorders,” with accompanying patient workbook (Oxford University Press, September 2009).

“Individuals who exercise report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of stress and anger,” Smits says. “Exercise appears to affect, like an antidepressant, particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, and it helps patients with depression re-establish positive behaviors. For patients with anxiety disorders, exercise reduces their fears of fear and related bodily sensations such as a racing heart and rapid breathing.”

After patients have passed a health assessment, Smits says, they should work up to the public health dose, which is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity.

At a time when 40 percent of Americans are sedentary, he says, mental health care providers can serve as their patients’ exercise guides and motivators.

“Rather than emphasize the long-term health benefits of an exercise program — which can be difficult to sustain — we urge providers to focus with their patients on the immediate benefits,” he says. “After just 25 minutes, your mood improves, you are less stressed, you have more energy — and you’ll be motivated to exercise again tomorrow. A bad mood is no longer a barrier to exercise; it is the very reason to exercise.”

Smits says health care providers who prescribe exercise also must give their patients the tools they need to succeed, such as the daily schedules, problem-solving strategies and goal-setting featured in his guide for therapists.

“Therapists can help their patients take specific, achievable steps,” he says. “This isn’t about working out five times a week for the next year. It’s about exercising for 20 or 30 minutes and feeling better today.” — Sarah Hanan

Tags Dedman College, Jasper Smits, SMU Anxiety Research and Treatment Program, SMU Department of Psychology

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Findings suggest that high levels of regular physical activity may be a useful intervention to prevent panic and related disorders

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