[MatthiasP]

That exercise (especially endurance sports) is as effective as your typical SSRI is known for decades. The problem is getting a depressed person to exercise five days a week and holding up to that schedule for months and years.

[throwaway66523]

Absolutely. As I commented elsewhere here, I suffered from a depressive episode after a close friend committed suicide.

The lack of energy is extraordinary and what I experienced must have been mild compared to what others with severe depression suffer from.

Anecdote: a sliding door slipped from its rail because there was no stopper at the end of the rail and it had to be moved back in place. It is neither heavy nor difficult to do it.

I gave up after the first attempt to fix it.

Depression is nothing that I would ever wish on anyone, no matter how much I might hate that person.

[justinator]

I guess one of the nice things about the modern world is that there's lots of different activities one can choose. Like basketball? Play basketball! Like Crossfit? Do some Crossfit. Like running? Go for a -

OK - no one really likes running...

All these activities have casual social groups attached to them you can join. If you miss a meetup, someone's gonna check in with ya.

The initial bump to make it habit is hard, and it could take a few tries, but that's true for any positive habit.

[SketchySeaBeast]

You don't have to exercise for 5 days a week though - that's an arbitrary choice. I've been going to the gym 3-4 times / week for 1-3 hours at a time for years and it's absolutely helped my mood. There's no magic to 5 days a week.