Comparison of Physical Fitness, Physical Activity Level, Depression and Quality of Life in Bipolar and Schizophrenia Patients With Healthy Controls

Bipolar disorder ranks among the top 20 causes of disability among all medical conditions worldwide and 6th among mental disorders. Bipolar disorder is defined as a serious mental illness involving emotional ups and downs. It is a disorder characterized by two distinct periods of illness, manic and depressive . These two periods of illness are characterized by remission and exacerbation. The patient completely returns to normal except for the periods of illness. The mania or outburst period is when the mood is very high. Bipolar patients have a reduced life expectancy and a higher risk of developing metabolic syndromes. It is a serious mental health problem in terms of mortality, morbidity and suicide . Bipolar individuals have a higher mortality and morbidity rate than the general population. Exercise and physical activity are highly effective in preventing mortality and cardiovascular diseases and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The International Organization of Physiotherapists recommends that individuals with mental illness should do at least 150 minutes of brisk walking or 75 minutes of physical activity per week.

Exercise is also an effective method in the treatment of mood disorders in patients with bipolar disorder. Aerobic physical exercises are also a good treatment for neurocognitive dysfunction in patients with bipolar disorder. Decreased walking capacity in hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder is due to impaired muscle conditioning, which affects daily living functions. At the same time, bipolar individuals have poorer exercise habits such as less walking and less strength exercises than healthy individuals. A qualitative study in bipolar patients also found that mood influences physical activity. Schizophrenia is a chronic mental disorder characterized by the occurrence of both positive symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions and negative symptoms such as apathy and withdrawal, repetition of cognitive skills and disorganization. Patients with schizophrenia have been found to be less physically active and less physically fit than the general population. Exercise is a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured and repetitive bodily movements performed to increase and maintain one or more parts of physical fitness.

Therefore, physical activity level and physical fitness are stated as critical parameters of biopsychosocial approach in mental health services.

The aim of this study was to compare physical fitness, physical activity level, depression and quality of life in bipolar and schizophrenia patients with healthy individuals.