Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder

Christoffer van Tulleken; Michael Tipton; Heather Massey; C. Mark Harper

doi:10.1136/bcr-2018-225007

Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder

Christoffer van Tulleken, Michael Tipton, Heather Massey, C. Mark Harper

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Abstract

A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Symptoms were resistant to fluoxetine and then citalopram. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly open (cold) water swimming was trialled. This led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free.

Original language	English
Journal	BMJ Case Reports
Early online date	21 Aug 2018
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-225007
Publication status	Early online - 21 Aug 2018

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10.1136/bcr-2018-225007

Open_water_swimming
This article has been accepted for publication in BMJ Case Reports following peer review. The definitive copyedited, typeset version is available online at http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2018/bcr-2018-225007
Accepted author manuscript (Post-print), 188 KB

http://casereports.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bcr-2018-225007

Data availability statement for 'Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder'.
Van Tulleken, C. (Creator), Tipton, M. (Creator), Massey, H. (Creator) & Harper, C. M. (Creator), BMJ Publishing Group, 21 Aug 2018
Dataset

Cold water swimming and mental health
Heather Massey & Mike Tipton
12/09/18 → 30/11/19
8 items of Media coverage, 9 Media contributions
Press/Media: Expert comment

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abstract = "A 24-year-old woman with symptoms of major depressive disorder and anxiety had been treated for the condition since the age of 17. Symptoms were resistant to fluoxetine and then citalopram. Following the birth of her daughter, she wanted to be medication-free and symptom-free. A programme of weekly open (cold) water swimming was trialled. This led to an immediate improvement in mood following each swim and a sustained and gradual reduction in symptoms of depression, and consequently a reduction in, and then cessation of, medication. On follow-up a year later, she remains medication-free.",

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Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder

Abstract

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Data availability statement for 'Open water swimming as a treatment for major depressive disorder'.

Press/Media

Cold water swimming and mental health

Cite this