Exercise or mind-body exercises for psychiatry symptoms and quality of life in schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders: an overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis

This overview of systematic reviews with meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effects of exercise, regular physical activity, and mind-body exercises on negative symptoms, depression symptoms, and quality of life in schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. The CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched up to November 10, 2023. AMSTAR 2 was used and the overlap between reviews was calculated. Eighteen reviews were included. No reviews meta-analyzed regular physical activity. Aerobic exercise may be more effective than yoga, treatment-as-usual, or multiple controls for reducing negative symptoms. Tai chi may be more effective than multiple controls for decreasing negative symptoms. Aerobic exercise or multimodal exercise programs may be more effective than multiple controls for reducing depression symptoms. Yoga may be more effective than waitlist for decreasing depression symptoms. Aerobic exercise may be more effective than multiple controls for improving quality of life. Yoga may be more effective than treatment-as-usual for improving quality of life. The rest of the meta-analyses found no differences between groups or combined different types of interventions in their meta-analyses. Despite these results, important methodological concerns were detected that precluded us from making sound clinical recommendations. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/7V5QZ. This overview of reviews evaluates exercise and mind-body exercise for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.Aerobic exercise or tai chi may reduce negative symptoms in these psychiatric disorders.Yoga may reduce depression symptoms and improve quality of life in these psychiatric disorders. This overview of reviews evaluates exercise and mind-body exercise for schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Aerobic exercise or tai chi may reduce negative symptoms in these psychiatric disorders. Yoga may reduce depression symptoms and improve quality of life in these psychiatric disorders.