Beyond Pharmaceuticals: Green Therapy in an Urban World
In the United States, the leading cause of disability is neuropsychiatric disorders, surpassing even cardiovascular and circulatory diseases. Of these neuropsychiatric disorders, depression and anxiety are the most prevalent, affecting about 264 million and 284 million individuals worldwide respectively. When treating these disorders, there are several well-established options available, including psychotherapy, counseling, and pharmaceutical prescriptions.
Beyond these treatments, green therapy—using nature as a means of therapy—is emerging as a technique to help manage common mental disorders (CMDs). Using nature as a means of therapy can vary from taking weekly trips to green natural landscapes and going on hikes to simply incorporating objects like plants and flowers into indoor settings. In an ever-so-busy world, green therapy has become a prominent topic within the larger discussion of mental health due to its multiple benefits. One of these is accessibility. Unlike pharmaceutical prescriptions, which can be inaccessible due to lack of healthcare coverage or financial limitations, green therapy is generally easy to access. Another benefit of green therapy is that it isn’t habit-forming and doesn’t have side effects, unlike some pharmaceuticals. However, it is yet to be proven if green therapy is as effective as prescriptions for patients who have been diagnosed with a CMD.
Beyond these treatments, green therapy—using nature as a means of therapy—is emerging as a technique to help manage common mental disorders (CMDs). Using nature as a means of therapy can vary from taking weekly trips to green natural landscapes and going on hikes to simply incorporating objects like plants and flowers into indoor settings. In an ever-so-busy world, green therapy has become a prominent topic within the larger discussion of mental health due to its multiple benefits. One of these is accessibility. Unlike pharmaceutical prescriptions, which can be inaccessible due to lack of healthcare coverage or financial limitations, green therapy is generally easy to access. Another benefit of green therapy is that it isn’t habit-forming and doesn’t have side effects, unlike some pharmaceuticals. However, it is yet to be proven if green therapy is as effective as prescriptions for patients who have been diagnosed with a CMD.
Image Source: Toomas Tartes
Previous research suggests that in urban areas with more greenery, there tends to be lower usage of antidepressants among those diagnosed with CMDs. Following this finding that green therapy is effective in reducing anxious and depressive symptoms, another recent publication, which surveyed populations across 18 different countries, points out several important factors when it comes to individuals with CMDs involved in green therapy. This study included individuals of all socioeconomic levels, both diagnosed with CMDs and not. The researchers recognized beforehand that individuals diagnosed with depression often express motivational deficit, which makes it difficult for them to do everyday activities. Similarly, individuals diagnosed with anxiety sometimes exhibit experiential avoidance, in which they avoid being exposed to unfamiliar environments or thinking of stressful topics to prevent spirals of anxiety. Therefore, in this study, the main focus was not recording the rates of prescription antidepressant usage when using green therapy, but instead observing individuals’ feelings of intrinsic motivation, anxiety, and emotions, which could be affected by exposure to nature.
In the study, participants reported whether or not they used medications for treating CMDs. Researchers found that when visiting nature, the participants’ levels of intrinsic motivation were high overall. In participants taking anxiety and depression medications, however, intrinsic motivation was relatively lower. This finding was associated with higher levels of perceived social pressure—individuals with depression or anxiety may sometimes feel pressured by others to visit nature, which may actually reduce their intrinsic motivation. Participants feeling socially pressured to visit nature had lower levels of happiness and increased levels of anxiety during visits. Despite lower levels of reported happiness for this section of participants, the study also showed that they were more likely to visit nature more often regardless of external pressure.
Taking into account the study’s results, multiple limitations could have impacted the relationship between nature and individuals diagnosed with CMDs. For example, socioeconomic factors may have come into play, as many low-income communities do not have access to high-quality environmental spaces, thus limiting the effectiveness of green therapy. These socioeconomic differences can result in mental health inequalities. In general, it is still unclear whether green therapy can be a completely reliable treatment alternative for prescription drugs. Nevertheless, as the field emerges and more research is undertaken, learning more about green therapy will likely be useful in a postmodern urban world.
In the study, participants reported whether or not they used medications for treating CMDs. Researchers found that when visiting nature, the participants’ levels of intrinsic motivation were high overall. In participants taking anxiety and depression medications, however, intrinsic motivation was relatively lower. This finding was associated with higher levels of perceived social pressure—individuals with depression or anxiety may sometimes feel pressured by others to visit nature, which may actually reduce their intrinsic motivation. Participants feeling socially pressured to visit nature had lower levels of happiness and increased levels of anxiety during visits. Despite lower levels of reported happiness for this section of participants, the study also showed that they were more likely to visit nature more often regardless of external pressure.
Taking into account the study’s results, multiple limitations could have impacted the relationship between nature and individuals diagnosed with CMDs. For example, socioeconomic factors may have come into play, as many low-income communities do not have access to high-quality environmental spaces, thus limiting the effectiveness of green therapy. These socioeconomic differences can result in mental health inequalities. In general, it is still unclear whether green therapy can be a completely reliable treatment alternative for prescription drugs. Nevertheless, as the field emerges and more research is undertaken, learning more about green therapy will likely be useful in a postmodern urban world.
Image Source: Dmitry Gladkikh
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