The COVID-19 Pandemic

Exercise addiction (AE), which can be defined as engaging in excessive and problematic physical exercise, is still not officially included in the psychiatric nosography, although this disorder can be identified as linked to addictive behaviours. Many different etiopathogenetic hypotheses have been proposed to account for the epidemiological distribution of EA in the general population. However, a clear phenomenological concept of the disorder and shared diagnostic tools are still lacking. It is frequently comorbid with eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder, which can both trigger EA and develop secondary to it. In recent times it has been proposed that the lockdowns and other restrictions which were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic could have been possible risk factors for the development or worsening of EA, as physical exercise was widely recommended as a strategy for coping with these restrictions. The initial evidence about the emergence of EA during the COVID-19 pandemic is presented.