This is part 3 of a three-part series on exercise and mental health. Part 1 looked at how mental and physical health are connected, and part 2 at what the research says.

Do you have concerns with any of the below? These avenues are available to support you and your health. You deserve it, you are wanted, you are loved, and we’re here to help.

General mental health, mental ill-health or mental illness: Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au

Disordered eating or eating disorders: Butterfly National Helpline 1800 33 4673 or butterfly.org.au

Suicidal thoughts: Lifeline 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

When you see an Exercise Physiologist (EP), it’s our job at the very least to consider and regularly review:

• the varying underlying physiological mechanisms that are at play relative to chronic health conditions, and how we can influence these through physical activity
• how these physiological mechanisms and chronic conditions interact with our mental health (keeping in mind that mental health is known to affect physical health, and vice versa; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW], 2026e). Examples of physiological mechanisms related to mental health conditions that can be influenced via physical activity include:
  • BDNF
  • Gut-brain axis
  • Systemic inflammation
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Serotonin
  • Dopamine
  • HPA axis
• How your social determinants of health influence your physical and mental health state(s), affordances, opportunities to participate in healthcare, and how we could cater to these
• What does the most up to date literature have to say around treatment of specific mental health conditions, and are these applicable or appropriate for you
• How best practice care considers the biopsychosocial multifactorial overlap of all health factors and conditions at the forefront of its management.

What about our general mental health statistics as a whole? (AIHW, 2026b, 2026c, 2026d; Health Policy Analysis, 2024; National Mental Health Commission, 2026)

• About 1 in 5 Australians (19%, 5.2 million people) were dispensed a mental health related prescription in 2024-2025
• 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 7 young people experienced a mental health disorder in the previous 12 months
• Broader Medicare data shows that approximately 13 million Medicare mental health services were provided across Australia in 2024-25
• Almost 500,000 Australians living with psychosocial disability are receiving little to no support (Health Policy Analysis, 2024)
• In 2022-23, 493,600 people aged 12 to 64 years with a severe or moderate mental illness who required psychosocial support were not receiving psychosocial supports through the NDIS or other government-funded programs.
• Overall life satisfaction rating for people who have a mental health condition was 5.8 compared to 7.4 for people without a mental health condition, a gap that has not narrowed since 2020
• People with mental health conditions are disproportionately experiencing loneliness and discrimination

What about the cost of mental health and mental ill-health in Australia? (AIHW, 2026a; Deloitte Access Economics, 2026; National Mental Health Commission, 2025, 2026; Productivity Commission, 2025)

• The overall cost of mental ill-health and suicide in Australia is estimated to be over $200 billion each year
• In 2024-25, over $1.6 billion went towards Medicare-subsidised (MBS) mental health services, while roughly $781 million was spent on prescription mental health medications via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
• Despite this, more Australians are delaying mental health care due to cost, according to the National Mental Health Commission in 2025.
• 20% of people aged 15 years and older indicated cost as a reason for not seeing a mental health professional in 2024-25.
• A 2026 report by Deloitte Access Economics, commissioned by Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA), the peak body for exercise physiologists, estimates that exercise physiology delivers a net economic benefit of $168.9 million over 3 years for people with mental health conditions.

So, what can we consider or do as Exercise Physiologists?

• We review what best practice care looks like in the mental health space. The 2026 ESSA Consensus Statement (Lederman et al., 2026) sets out six best practice principles guiding EP practice in mental healthcare, as defined by their consensus process: person-centred, strength-based, recovery-oriented, culturally responsive, mental health and trauma-informed, and behaviour-change strategies, all underpinned by evidence-based care.
• We seek ongoing education regarding the clearly identified relationship between physical and mental health conditions, and treatment methods for these.
• We seek ongoing education regarding medication interactions and consider their common side effects. For example, common side effects of mental health medications include weight gain, metabolic changes, fatigue, appetite changes, sleep disruptions, gastrointestinal changes. What effects could these have on you, and are we monitoring for these side effects? If we are aware of these side effects, are we able to use exercise and movement to intercept or improve them?
• We do what we do best: prescribe individualised and client-specific exercise or movement that is clinically meaningful for you. That’s our intervention and our superpower, and it’s being underutilised!

Where to from here?

Mental health AND physical health statistics are worsening, and something needs to change. Research suggests that exercise interventions can be comparable to other mental health treatment options, while often offering greater and broader health outcomes and simultaneously show significant improvement in mental health symptoms while minimising side effects (Singh et al., 2023).

If you take medicine for your mental health, keep taking it as prescribed. Talk to your GP before you change anything.

Future opportunities and steps forward however remain clear:

1. Integrate EPs into end-to-end care across primary, secondary and community health settings relative to mental health to support prevention, early intervention, rehabilitation, and long term management (Deloitte Access Economics, 2026)
2. Invest in evidence translation regarding the clinical and financial efficacy of exercise physiology in the broader community, public health system, and compensable schemes (Deloitte Access Economics, 2026)
3. Increase awareness of exercise physiology among policymakers, employers and broader community (Deloitte Access Economics, 2026)
4. Advocacy towards including or collaborating with Accredited Exercise Physiologists as available allied health professionals for access in Mental Health Treatment Plans
5. Encourage and accept GPCCMPs for mental health conditions without discrimination, prejudice or reason for exclusion
6. Encourage those experiencing mental ill-health, mental illness or severe mental illness if they’re not already moving, to try where possible to do so, or to try an alternative form of movement (where appropriate) in a way that suits and/or interests them :)

If you would like support to move more for your mental health, reach out. One of our exercise physiologists can work with you, alongside your GP and any other care you have. Get in touch with our team.

References

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026a). Expenditure on mental health-related services. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/facilities-resources/expenditure

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026b). Medicare mental health services. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/community-based-services/medicare-mental-health

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026c). Mental health. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026d). Mental health-related prescriptions. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/community-based-services/mental-health-prescriptions

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2026e). Physical health of people with mental illness. https://www.aihw.gov.au/mental-health/topic-areas/health-wellbeing/physical-health

Deloitte Access Economics. (2026). Valuing the contribution of exercise physiologists in Australia: An economic perspective. Exercise & Sports Science Australia. https://www.essa.org.au/Common/Uploaded%20files/Reports/essa-economic-report-2026.pdf

Health Policy Analysis. (2024). Analysis of unmet need for psychosocial supports outside of the National Disability Insurance Scheme: Final report. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-08/analysis-of-unmet-need-for-psychosocial-supports-outside-of-the-national-disability-insurance-scheme-final-report.pdf

Lederman, O., Chapman, J., Fibbins, H., Haywood, D., Hart, N. H., Furzer, B., Wright, K., McKeon, G., Brinsley, J., Mastrogiovanni, C., Semaan, A., Llana, A., Stanton, R., & Rosenbaum, S. (2026). Role of exercise physiologists in mental health support and recovery: 2026 Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) consensus statement. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 60(8), 568–582. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2025-110879

National Mental Health Commission. (2025, July 24). More people delaying mental health care due to cost: New report on Australia’s mental health system [News release]. https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/news-media/news/more-people-delaying-mental-health-care-due-cost-new-report-australias-mental-health-system

National Mental Health Commission. (2026). National Report Card 2025. https://www.mentalhealthcommission.gov.au/publications/national-report-card-2025

Productivity Commission. (2025). Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement review: Inquiry report (Report No. 108). https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries-and-research/mental-health-review/

Singh, B., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Dumuid, D., Virgara, R., Watson, A., Szeto, K., O’Connor, E., Ferguson, T., Eglitis, E., Miatke, A., Simpson, C. E., & Maher, C. (2023). Effectiveness of physical activity interventions for improving depression, anxiety and distress: An overview of systematic reviews. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(18), 1203–1209. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106195