title: Physical exercise through mountain hiking in high-risk suicide patients. A randomized crossover trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The following crossover pilot study attempts to prove the effects of endurance training through mountain hiking in high-risk suicide patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (n = 20) having attempted suicide at least once and clinically diagnosed with hopelessness were randomly distributed among two groups. Group 1 (n = 10) began with a 9-week hiking phase followed by a 9-week control phase. Group 2 (n = 10) worked vice versa. Assessments included the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Scale of Suicide Ideation (BSI), and maximum physical endurance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten participants of Group 1 and seven participants of Group 2 completed the study. A comparison between conditions showed that, in the hiking phase, there was a significant decrease in hopelessness (P < 0.0001, d = -1.4) and depression (P < 0.0001, d = -1.38), and a significant increase in physical endurance (P < 0.0001, d = 1.0), but no significant effect for suicide ideation (P = 0.25, d = -0.29). However, within the hiking phase, there was a significant decrease in suicide ideation (P = 0.005, d = -0.79).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that a group experience of regular monitored mountain hiking, organized as an add-on therapy to usual care, is associated with an improvement of hopelessness, depression, and suicide ideation in patients suffering from high-level suicide risk.
authors.affiliation: Suicide Prevention Research Program, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Austria. josef.sturm@badvigaun.com
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sturm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plöderl
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fartacek
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kralovec
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neunhäuserer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Niederseer
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hitzl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niebauer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schiepek
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fartacek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000628:therapy*; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000092864:Suicide Prevention