Dr. Lynn Woodford, MH Lead Dec 7, 2016 Nature and Mental Health - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dr. Lynn Woodford, MH Lead Dec 7, 2016

Nature and Mental Health  80% of Canadians live in urban settings  Urban versus Rural  Urban:  20 percent higher risk of anxiety disorders  40 percent higher risk of mood disorders as compared to people in rural areas.

Nature and Mental Health  Is exposure to nature linked to positive mental health?  What are nature’s impacts on emotion and mood?  Can exposure to nature help “buffer” against depression?

Viewing Nature and Mental Health  Viewing nature is positive for health  Improves recovering from stress,  improves concentration and productivity  improves the psychological state, particularly of people in confined circumstances such as prisons, hospitals, and high-rise apartments/high-density living  nature was most rehabilitative for those experiencing the highest levels of stress

Nature and Attention  Walking in nature:  Increased attention  Increase effectiveness on tasks after  Children with attention deficits (ADD/ADHD),  2008 study, Faber Taylor and Kuo compared the impacts on attention behaviours of children with ADHD who were taken  Guided walks in three different outdoor areas: a park setting, a downtown area and a residential area.  Improvements in attention behaviours were greater after the park experience.

Nature and Mental Health  As for time in the outdoors, researchers from Nippon Medical School in Japan compared the effects of walking through a forest versus walking through a city.  Results:  decreased stress hormones  increased the natural killer cells of the immune system and the expression of anti-cancer proteins.

Stanford Studies of Time in Nature  Increase in positive mood  Increase in cognitive function, including working memory,  Decrease in anxiety.  Supports the idea that exposure to natural greenspace can improve affect and cognition

Stanford Studies: Time in Nature  Compared walking in nature with walking in an urban environment  http://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental- health-063015/

Stanford Studies: Time in Nature  Neural activity in the subgenual prefrontal cortex, a brain region active during rumination  repetitive thought focused on negative emotions decreased among participants who walked in nature versus those who walked in an urban environment.  These results suggest that accessible natural areas may be vital for mental health  Help inform the growing movement worldwide to make cities more livable, and to make nature more accessible to all who live in them

Nature and Mental Health  Study of different natural environments versus manmade environment:  Improved both self-esteem  Improved mood  the presence of water generated greater effects  Both men and women had similar improvements in self- esteem after green exercise  Environment provides an important health service  Even 5 minutes in nature can have an effect

Nature and Mental Health  There is mounting evidence that contact with nature has significant positive impacts on mental health  It is associated with:  reduced levels of stress  reduced levels of depression and anxiety  increased resilience  improved self-esteem  increased capacity to engage socially

Nature and Mental Health  The growing disconnection with our natural environment may be exacerbating the escalating rates of mental illness  Mental health professionals should be prescribing time in nature  High quality parks, gardens and nature reserves need to be accessible to all  Engaging with nature may help to decrease mental health issues, especially among children

Ongoing Questions  Frequency, Duration, Intensity of exposure required for benefit  Specific effects on subgroups of the population,  Children and youth  Teachers  Parents  Long-term effects  What are the essential requirements for, and the limits of, nature’s positive effect on mental health?

Links to articles  http://www.mindingourbodies.ca/about_the_project/l iterature_reviews/the_nurture_of_nature  http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/enhance-your- wellbeing/environment/nature-and-us/how-does- nature-impact-our-wellbeing  http://news.stanford.edu/2015/06/30/hiking-mental- health-063015/  http://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/mood- disorders/nature-cognitive-anxiety-depression- mood/article/448018/3/