Impact of Exercise Groups on Patient Mental Health and Wellbeing in an Acute Psychiatric Inpatient Unit

More research is needed to elucidate the impacts of physical activity interventions on short- and long-term activity and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in psychiatric inpatients and to support its advantageousness when compared to current standards of care. To investigate the impact of regular exercise on activity level, NPS, and sleep in an inpatient psychiatry unit, the investigators propose a placebo-controlled study with measures of activity, mood, anxiety, energy, and sleep as primary outcomes in 50 psychiatric inpatients at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Given the challenges of maintaining blinded assignment to treatment arm, the investigators will compare patients during two time periods (3 months each): the first is treatment as usual (TAU), the second adds exercise intervention (EXI).

Inclusion Criteria: * Psychiatric inpatients admitted to the Johns Hopkins Bayview Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) * Aged 18 years or older * Able to give informed consent and understand the tasks involved * In the opinion of the unit attending, the patient is sufficiently psychologically or medically stable to safely participate in the exercise intervention * Patients using mobility devices such as canes, walkers, and wheelchairs are eligible for inclusion as exercises can be completed in modifiable positions as needed. Exclusion Criteria: * Patients who do not speak English as their primary language. * Patients with a history of physical or neurological conditions that interfere with study procedures. * Patients demonstrating behavior that would be a safety concern if placed in a group at the discretion of occupational therapy, the medical team, or the nursing team. * A patient can be excluded if in the opinion of the treatment team on the unit, participation in the study would have a negative impact on the patient's mental health or treatment plan.