Academic pressure, uncertainty in career planning, and interpersonal relationships can all lead to increased psychological stress among college students, leading to depression. As the core curriculum of universities, physical education provides students with opportunities to relax and relieve stress psychologically. And recreational exercise therapy helps students release stress in relaxed and fun ways. Combining ideological and political education with recreational exercise therapy in physical education courses may provide a new and practical approach to treating depression symptoms in college students.

The study divided 76 students with depression into an experimental group and a control group. The control group received routine treatment; based on the control group, the experimental group conducted intervention on the ideological and political reform of physical education courses combined with recreational exercise therapy. The study used the Self Rating Depression Scale (SDS) to assess students’ mental health status.

Before the experiment, there was no significant difference in the level of depression between the two groups of students (P>0.05); After the investigation, the depression level of the experimental group students was significantly improved and significantly lower than that of the control group students (P<0.05).

The combination of ideological and political reform in physical education courses and recreational exercise therapy greatly alleviates depression among college students. It can be used as an auxiliary means for treating depression among college students.

Key Project of Scientific Research Project of the Education Department of Hunan Province (No. 18A485).