Exercise in Anxiety and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders

The proposed research project is designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial with three arms. The efficacy of a climbing exercise program, an aerobic exercise program and a social contact control group on primary and secondary study outcome will be investigated (see Figure 1). Patients will be first screened by the outpatient-unit of the Department of Psychosomatics at the Medical University of Innsbruck or remitted through the treating staff network community. When assessed as eligible for the study, a group of up to ten out-patients will be randomly selected and invited to an informative meeting. Patients receive study information and time tables for their group attendances. The intervention will start within the following week and will end four weeks after beginning. Follow-up assessments will take place three and six months after intervention. In addition to the AD/PTSD symptom screening, secondary study outcomes will be assessed: * at study inclusion (t1) * at the end of the intervention (t2) * three months after the intervention (t3) * six months after the intervention (t4)