This study looked at mental health and fitness in young adults. It compared 36 Canadian adults who reported a formal ADHD diagnosis with 36 adults without ADHD. All were aged 18 to 35, and most were white female university students (average age 21.0). Two thirds of the ADHD group were taking ADHD medication.
The ADHD group reported worse mental health than the comparison group. They scored higher on depression (mean 13.69 versus 5.69), anxiety (12.19 versus 6.08), and stress (17.94 versus 9.75). Most of the ADHD group reported at least moderate symptoms in at least one area, far more than the comparison group (67% versus about 36%).
Fitness levels did not differ between the two groups. But across everyone, people who felt fitter reported less depression, anxiety, and stress. How fit people felt explained a modest share of the differences in mood, from 8% for anxiety to 17% for stress. Measured walking fitness was linked only to lower stress.
Because the study measured everything at a single point in time, it cannot show that fitness causes better mental health. The sample was small and not very diverse. The authors suggest that raising physical fitness may be a promising mental health strategy for adults with ADHD, and that controlled trials are needed to test this.
Source: Ogrodnik M, Karsan S, Heisz J. Mental Health in Adults With ADHD: Examining the Relationship With Cardiorespiratory Fitness. Journal of Attention Disorders (2023). doi:10.1177/10870547231158383