{"id":771280,"date":"2026-05-03T22:29:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/771280\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T22:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T22:29:17","slug":"psychiatrist-says-theres-one-blunt-truth-about-mental-health-he-wishes-he-could-tell-every-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/771280\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychiatrist Says There\u2019s One Blunt Truth About Mental Health He Wishes He Could Tell Every Patient"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psychiatrist Dr. Richard Wadsworth<\/a> uses his presence on TikTok to offer guidance on the intersection of physical and mental health, which he believes are ultimately connected. Movement has long been considered an important tool for protecting your emotional health.<\/p>\n

Research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/a> agrees, showing that running for 15 minutes or walking for an hour lowers the risk of major depression. Dr. Wadsworth’s message does a good job of cutting through the information overload of wellness trends and multiple-hour self-care plans, even if it comes across as blunt. His truth might not always be what people want to hear, but it might be the missing link on their journey to feeling better and kicking depression to the curb.<\/p>\n

A psychiatrist says the blunt truth about mental health he wishes he could tell every patient is that exercise is criticalDr. Wadsworth explained the key connection between working out and mental health<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cIf you\u2019re depressed and you aren\u2019t exercising, most likely, that\u2019s why, just from a statistical perspective,\u201d he explained. \u201cStatistically, if you were exercising, you probably wouldn\u2019t be depressed. You almost definitely wouldn\u2019t be as depressed.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentioned that some people counter by saying they\u2019re too depressed to exercise, to which he asks if that person can exercise for one second, then advises them to try and do that for two seconds, building up to 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably gonna help you feel good enough to maybe go for a whole minute, and if you keep doing that, you might even be able to do five minutes,\u201d and then eventually, even ten minutes. \u201cAt some point, you may be able to work up to 30 minutes, and if you get up to 30 minutes, you\u2019re probably not gonna be depressed enough to even need to see me or see a psychiatrist,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou\u2019re probably, statistically, going to be mostly functional.\u201d<\/p>\n

He addressed the reasons why he doesn\u2019t give this advice to people, even though \u201cstatistically, according to the studies they\u2019ve done, it\u2019s usually accurate.\u201d He described the studies done<\/a>, detailing how \u201cthey took a big group of depressed people\u201d and had half exercise, while the other half didn\u2019t exercise.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of the group that exercised, they outperformed the depression medications,\u201d he revealed. \u201cMore people got feeling better with exercise than they did with pills, or better than the group that was taking pills.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a way to explain his thought process further, he used the analogy of trying to build a fire inside a bucket of water, saying, \u201cThat\u2019s almost what it\u2019s like trying to continue to be happy or happier if you\u2019re not exercising. It makes about as much sense as trying to build a fire in a bucket of water: It\u2019s not gonna work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, there\u2019s definitely a big difference between being happy and depression,\u201d he clarified. \u201cAlso, there are lots of causes of depression, and certainly not all of them are not exercising. But I would say that for most causes of depression, the symptoms would lessen if the person did exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Judith Tutin, a psychologist,<\/a> agreed, noting that “reducing your physical anxiety by practicing relaxation or meditation and exercise, in any combination, getting enough sleep, and eating a healthy diet are a great start to living anxiety-free.”<\/p>\n

RELATED: New Research On Depression Shows Everyone\u2019s Favorite Exercise Can Be More Effective Than Medication<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

He highlighted a major challenge of depression: A depressed person\u2019s brain convinces them that nothing will make them feel better<\/p>\n

\"woman Ruslan Sikunov \/ Unsplash<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s part of what depression is<\/a>,\u201d he shared. \u201cIt\u2019s the state of having your brain lie to you and telling you that nothing you do will ever make you feel any better. Studies have demonstrated that that is false: The depressed brain is a liar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou stop engaging in any of your hobbies, you don\u2019t go outside, you don\u2019t exercise, you don\u2019t do anything. And guess what? You get more and more depressed, and then finally get so bad that you either go to the hospital or you go see a psychiatrist,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He detailed that \u201ca lot of the studies on pills people take \u2026 have five-week effects. Maybe 25-40% of the time, they help people feel a little better for about five weeks, and then the effects kind of drop off, and they stop working \u2026 They try different pills and try different combinations of pills, but nothing lasts unless you make changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He advised that people try to recognize that \u201cyou have a window there, maybe about five weeks before the medication stops working. During that five-week window, try very, very hard not to listen to your brain when it tells you that nothing you do will make you feel any better.\u201d<\/p>\n

He suggested that people push forward despite what their brains say, by engaging with the people and things they love.<\/p>\n

He also acknowledged that people can go through severe depressive episodes where they need alternative treatments, beyond medicine and exercise<\/p>\n

\"woman Hrant Khachatryan \/ Unsplash+<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t give up hope,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are lots of things that can be done.\u201d Making small, actionable changes<\/a>, like telling yourself positive affirmations and getting into a routine that uplifts you, are ways someone can combat a downturn in their mental health.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people do need to be on a depression medication chronically; that\u2019s just the way it is, for whatever reason,\u201d he clarified. \u201cAnd that\u2019s okay. There\u2019s no shame in that. But if your depression medications aren\u2019t working, and you\u2019re not exercising, and you\u2019re not spending time with other people, you\u2019re not pursuing hobbies, start with one second of exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n

He ended with a message of hope, sharing that getting professional help is always an avenue for people seeking support. His observation that the “depressed brain is a liar” lines up with what other professionals agree.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Marriage and family therapist Dr. Maxine Langdon Starr<\/a> agrees, explaining that “sometimes, your brain doesn’t allow you to see the good in yourself.” She reminds us that “thoughts are merely electro-chemical impulses in the brain, but when you validate these negative beliefs, you give them power.”<\/p>\n

Whether that support involves working with a doctor or therapist to create an action plan in conjunction with medication or it involves talking through hard times, prioritizing your health is imperative because once you put yourself first, you’ve made the most important step towards healing.<\/p>\n

RELATED: 8 Tiny Habits That Actually Improved My Life When I Was Really Depressed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alexandra Blogier is a staff writer for YourTango. She covers mental health, psychology, and all things to do with the human experience.<\/p>\n

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