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NHS Doctors Prescribe Garden Therapy to Treat Depression

During times of distraught and depression, I always prescribe myself either a long hike with some steep inclines or garden therapy.  There is something about tending to living plants, pulling weeds, and getting the garden in order that soothes the emotions and restores a sense of rightness.  It allows me to feel back in rhythm with the earth and puts things in perspective.  Garden therapy also helps children.

National Health System doctors in the United Kingdom are prescribing depressed patients an eight-week long gardening course.  Nursery manager Rachel Hampton explains in the Daily Mail:

‘The course is aimed at people with depression, anxiety or low moods and is designed to improve their mental health.

‘But it is important these patients mix with other people in society so we open it up to others as well.

‘Gardening in a group increases your self-esteem, improves your social skills and gives you some motivation to get up and get-going…

‘The course is not an alternative to medication but can complement it.

‘However, if it does help to get people off medication that is a bonus and could work out to be cheaper for the health service in the long-run.
‘We know that gardening can have many benefits for those with mental health problems including building self esteem and motivation and increasing the individual’s sense of wellbeing. We wish the project every success.’

23% of children are depressed, and “Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants.”  Perhaps if more families gardened, as well as every school had an active gardening program, these numbers would reverse their current trend.  Gardening immerses children in nature, gets them out in the sunshine, and gives them a connection to what they eat.  Of course, all of these factors would contribute positively to a child’s mood.

We recently lost a pet tragically.  It’s still painful to think about, and I’ve avoided blogging about it.  When the wounds of this loss were still very raw, my daughter found some solace in forking a garden bed.  Both the physical labor and the connection with the earth started the healing process from tears to happy memories of this truly loved dog.  The tears did return, but the garden therapy allowed us to spend some quality time together remembering what we loved about our dear dog.  It transcended the depression.

Photo:  AttributionShare Alike Some rights reserved by tastybit

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Comments

  1. Stephanie - Green Stay at Home Mom says

    May 31, 2011 at 6:04 pm

    I like this. I gave my kids gardening tools in their Easter baskets this year, because I don’t like it to be all about the sugary treats. Would’ve include seeds, but my husband always overbuys on those anyhow, so I prefer to have them go through his excess and decide what else to grow.

    No depression problems, but it’s still fun.

    Reply

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  1. Political Hacks Never Ending Jive » NHS Doctors Prescribe Garden Therapy to Treat Depression says:
    June 1, 2011 at 12:13 am

    […] NHS Doctors Prescribe Garden Therapy to Treat Depression is a post from: Eco Child's Play […]

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  2. Hopeful Weekend Links « New Urban Habitat says:
    June 24, 2011 at 3:03 am

    […] Doctors’ Rx: More Garden Time – Eco Child’s Play […]

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Our ethos is to provide news, information, and opinions on natural, green parenting to help your family live a greener, healthier life! Additionally, we offer personal consulting services to help you achieve your green living goals.

Jennifer is a vegetarian, yoga teacher, gardener, hiker, teacher, and mother that has been living off-the-grid for over 20 years.

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