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

• n 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

• f 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

• f, 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/