Joe Rogan tells people with depression to 'just f**king do something' to fight their mental illness

Joe Rogan has praised an Australian study that found exercise more effective in alleviating depression than medication.

On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the controversial podcaster read from research conducted by the University of South Australia.

The study found exercise was one and a half times more effective in treating depression than counselling or the leading medications.

It's described as 'the most comprehensive review (on the topic) to date', as it observed more than 97 studies, 1,039 trials and 128,000 participants.

Rogan said of the study citing exercise: “Of course it is. I don’t want to say the cause of anyone else’s depression because there’s no way I can know.

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“But probably a lot of people are depressed because they aren’t moving.

"I really think it’s a physical requirement.

“There are some universal requirements [for the human body], and movement is one of them.

“If you can move, if you are privileged enough -you’re not injured, you’re not disabled, and you can move — God I really think you should move."

He then shared some stern words of advice for his listeners.

“Just walk around the block. Just f**king do something," the comedian said.

The study, which was released in February, reviewed whether exercise affected mental health over a 12-week period.

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However, it wasn't just people with depression that benefitted significantly from physical activity, but pregnant people and postpartum women, healthy individuals, and people diagnosed with HIV or kidney disease.

Lead UniSA researcher Dr Ben Singh said in a statement that exercise needs to be prioritised to better manage the growing cases of mental health conditions.

“Physical activity is known to help improve mental health. Yet despite the evidence, it has not been widely adopted as a first-choice treatment,” Dr Singh said.

“Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations, with some groups showing even greater signs of improvement.

“Higher intensity exercise had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid-duration bursts."

He also disclosed the kinds of exercise that were the most useful for mental health.

“We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga," he said.

“Importantly, the research shows that it doesn’t take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health.”