Health Forums

Posted: 17 May 2007 at 10:46am | IP Logged

Just found this on Yahoo News and thought it may be of interest to some of you.

The number of prescriptions for anti-depressants has hit an all-time high, a mental health charity has revealed.

More than 31 million prescriptions for anti-depressants were written last year - a rise of 6 per cent on the year before, according to Mind.

It comes as the charity released research showing that country walks can help reduce depression and raise self-esteem, leading to calls for "ecotherapy" to become a recognised treatment for people with mental health illnesses.

The study by the University of Essex compared the benefits of a 30-minute walk in a country park with a walk in an indoor shopping centre on a group of 20 members of local Mind associations.

After the country walk, 71 per cent reported decreased levels of depression while 90 per cent reported increased self-esteem. This contrasted with only 45 per cent who experienced a decrease in depression after the shopping centre walk, and 22 per cent even said they actually felt more depressed.

In a separate study a massive 94 per cent said green activities had benefited their mental health and lifted depression while 90 per cent said the combination of nature and exercise had the greatest effect.

Mind describes ecotherapy as "getting outdoors and getting active in a green environment as a way of boosting mental well-being". Its chief executive Paul Farmer believes it will play an important part in the future of mental health treatments.

He said: "It is a credible, clinically-valid treatment option and needs to be prescribed by GPs, especially when for many people access to treatments other than anti-depressants is extremely limited."

Posted: 17 May 2007 at 11:10am | IP Logged

This is soo true. I feel a hundred times better when i get out for a walk. I love going to Sherwood Forest and places like that. I have always been an outdoor person and when i do get out i am always in a good mood. I can't stand shopping even if its for myself lol.

I would def recommend ppl to get out for more walks. I also find it gives you time to think and clear your head for a while. xxx

Posted: 17 May 2007 at 11:25am | IP Logged

When Eds was tiny I used to take him for a walk every day. My HV would kill me if she knew at the time as I went for over a mile walk with my family within a week for having a c section! I was so overjoyed to be able to walk (following being wheelchair bound with SPD) I went out every day. When the SPD returned I had to stop and with that came the depression.

I also suffer from SAD so sunlight is very important to me.

Since my recovery I am trying to get out more. I have a bike seat for Eds and am planning lots of ourdoorsy stuff for the summer!

Posted: 17 May 2007 at 11:55am | IP Logged

I heard this on the radio yesterday morning. It is so true! I have only recently started getting out with the girls and still don't do it as often as I should. But it really does help, I would definatly recommend it

x

Posted: 17 May 2007 at 6:17pm | IP Logged

I am probably going to be the only person here that doesnt like the outdoors...i get really irritable, i get paranoid, i cant stay out for too long before im looking for the next indoor place, be it a shop or a centre...I panic if i am out too long, as soon as the paranoia sets in thats it...i go from paranoid to panic mode.

Probably has something to do with everything thats happened in the last year, i just dont feel safe outside...i never open my curtains, i never sit in the garden.

My mum has noticed the change, after havin meg i was out all the time, at the park, walking about the town...but now i spend most of my days in the house, i dont like the windows open, and i panic all night long if i think the door hasnt been locked, and i have to get up and check about 3 times.

so yeah, call me wierd, but outdoors just arent for me.