Wednesday, February 25, 1987
Daily Nebraskan
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Haul VonderlageDaily Nebraskan
Inn 3cent member Greg Dynek leaps at Ned Kirklin in front of the Sigma Chi house to initiate
him h'.o the society. The Innocents Society had its "Tackle Ceremony" Monday to bring new
members into the group.
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By Atsuko Ohara
Staff Reporter
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Regular exercise prevents mental
depression, said Dr. Robert Brown,
associate professor of behavior science
at the University of Virginia in Charlot
tesville, in his speech Monday in the
UNL Steinhart Lecture Series.
Physical fitness improves mood, self
concept and work behavior, and redu
ces stress and anxiety in people of all
ages and both sexes, said Brown, a psy
chiatrist. Long-term exercise reduces
traits such as neuroticism and anxiety,
he said.
His study of 200 depressed students
at UVC shows those who exercised 45
minutes or more daily experience less
anxiety, anger and hostility, and feel
more cheerful and energetic.
"People should exercise (at least)
three times a week to do any good," he
said. The exercise can be swimming,
jogging bicycle riding, skating, cross
country skiing or anything you find
pleasant and fun, he said. One exercise
he prescribes is walking three miles in
45 minutes each eay, usually beginning
with a one-mile-in-15-minutes practice,
he said.
To conquer depression, Brown said,
people should understand it as a phys
ical disorder that is different from
normal grief, which is caused, for
example, by a death in the family.
Depression slows thinking, reduces
activity, lowers energy and concentra
tion, causes memory loss and breaks
biological rhythm. Depressed people
hate themselves and have no sense of
security, he said.
"They feel totally helpless and hope
less," Brown said. "They lose ability to
enjoy life."
Although depression eventually goes
away, it tends to recur. Vet depression
is "treatable" once it's recognized,
Brown said.
He. said because he has never met
any depressed person who was physi
cally fit, he wondered how to get people
to exercise. While he has been pres
cribing exercise for his patients, he
said he found emotional support by
family and friends extremely helpful.
They also can be exercise partners. For
example, one patient who had been i
very depressed started walking two!
miles with his wife two or three times a ;
day and recovered remarkably. Along '
with exercising, Brown said, having !
someone who wants to listen to you or ;
respond to you is more healing and ,
soothing for those who feel "as if you
don't really exist."
He said hospitalization and shock
treament should be the last resort
when psychiatric treatment and family
support don't work.
Brown suggested several remedies
for first aid:
O Don't confuse psychological fads
for cures. Although exercise has been a
popular trend, "it is not a fad but a
cure," Brown said.
O Respect your body and exercise
daily.
O Respect your mind and be hon
est with yourself. Try to be decisive.
O Find a sense of meaning for your
life.
"Everybody wonders what it is that ling to start exercising, if you find a
makes you feel better when you exer- family member of roommate feeling
cise," Brown said after the speech, depressed, you should take the initia-
"but nobody knows why." " tive to get them out to walk or do any
Since depressed people are not wil- other exercise, Brown said.
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' lit;
This Spring Break, catch a Greyhound to
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For just $89 round trip, you and your friends
will have a great time wherever you go.
Anywhere Greyhound goes.
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