[DanBC]

But the "get some exercise" suggestion was not made as a way to build resilience to prevent depression! It was given as a method to treat a current illness.

Here's why I think suggesting exercise as a treatment for depression is a bad idea - it might not work. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11368202

If someone can't go to a doctor that's something that needs to be fixed, and if they can't go to a doctor they're unlikely to be able to get the 5 * 30 minutes per week vigorous exercise.

EDIT: I mean, it's an anecdote. "Exercise worked for me". The trouble is I can find you plenty of people (and I speak to them in mental health hospitals and community settings) who've tried exercise, and it didn't do anything and they felt worse because it didn't do anything.

It is really important for people taking mental health meds to get more exercise, but that's not because of the possible treatment effects of exercise, but to try to mitigate some of the side effects most meds have, and to try to build resilience for the future.