Youth Engagement Pack of the BIG ONE

Mind calls for a new green agenda for mental health, following growing evidence in support of an accessible, cost-effective and natural addition to existing treatment options - ecotherapy.

For many people experiencing mental distress, drugs such as anti-depressants and tranquillisers are the only treatments available. While for some this is effective, for others the adverse side effects far outweigh the benefits. Mind has long campaigned for people to have access to alternative treatments, and highly advocates the therapeutic and social benefits of physical activities.

Mind's Ecotherapy report, released in May 2007, shows that people experiencing mental distress frequently use physical activities such as walking, gardening and exercise to help lift their mood, reduce stress, provide purpose and meaning and reduce vulnerability to depression. These simple activities can develop motivation and raise self-esteem, while contact with other people can reduce isolation, provide support, and help improve social skills. Good food and nutrition also positively impact on mental as well as physical health. A greener, more active lifestyle aids positive changes to our mental health.

The Ecotherapy report confirms that participating in green exercise activities provides substantial benefits for health and wellbeing. The main recommendations from the report are:

1. Ecotherapy should be recognised as a clinically valid treatment for mental distress.
2. Allocation of health and social care budgets should be informed by cost-benefit analysis of ecotherapies.
3. GPs should consider referral for green exercise as a treatment option for every patient experiencing mental distress.
4. Access to green space should be considered a key issue in all care planning and care assessment.
5. Referral to green care projects – such as green care farms – should be incorporated into health and social care referral systems.
6. Inequality of access to green space should be addressed as a human rights, social justice and discrimination issue.
7. All health, social care and criminal justice institutions should be required to ensure access to green space.
8. Designing for mental wellbeing should be recognised as good practice for architecture and town and country planning.
9. The benefits of green exercise should be promoted by public health campaigns, targeting young people in particular.
10. Ecotherapy projects should be evaluated to collect data and continue to build an appropriate evidence base.