A study investigating psychiatric (schizophrenia) patients’ exercise habits related to obesity and dosage of psychiatric medications

Abstract

Psychiatric patients are prone to suffer lifestyle diseases and obesity. It is argued that pharmacological treatment causes the patients several issues such as weight gain because of side effects of antipsychotic drugs. This study investigates psychiatric patients’ exercise habits related to obesity and dosage of psychiatric medications. 50 patients with schizophrenia of a psychiatric day-care center (mean age 39.94±10.05) participated in this study. 65.2 % of them (69.2 % of males, 60.0 % of females) engaged in less physical activities than recommended by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan. Male patients significantly performed more intentional exercise than females, while there was no difference in sex in regard to overall physical activity. No difference in physical activity was found between obese and non-obese groups. There was no difference in athletic history or dosage of psychiatric medications, benzodiazepines and herbal medicine. It is widely recommended that patients of psychiatric day-care centers be encouraged to take part in exercise and physical activities with caution.