Recent evidence indicates an
increase in mental health problems among college students. A 2013 survey of college counseling center
directors indicated that 95 percent of respondents felt the number
of students with significant psychological problems is a growing concern on
their campus, 70 percent reported that the number of students on their campus
with severe psychological problems increased in the past year, and they
reported that 24.5 percent of their student clients were taking psychotropic
drugs. While some researchers actively
search for reasons explaining the increase in mental health problems in college
students, others have examined ways to lower the risk of mental illness. The good news (especially for outdoor enthusiasts)
is that a study published by Gretchen Daily and her
colleagues at Stanford University found quantifiable evidence that walking in
nature could lead to a lower risk of depression. The study found that people
who walked for 90 minutes in a natural area, as opposed to participants who
walked in a high-traffic urban setting, showed decreased activity in a region
of the brain associated with a key factor in depression (the subgenual
prefrontal cortex). These results not
only demonstrate the impact of a nature
experience on emotion regulation and provide insight how nature makes us feel
better, but they also provide a safe, relatively affordable, fun, and healthy mechanism
for students (and others) to reduce their risk of mental health problems.
A very interesting read, but how reliable is this evidence? Granted, a stressed out college student who goes for a walk in the woods will feel better, but can something as simple as a walk in the woods truly relieve symptoms of something like major depressive disorder. I believe that a student combating a real depressive disorder would need counseling and/or medication, such as SSRI's, to effectively treat their health problems.
ReplyDeleteIn life, especially within the life of a college student, stressors are a constant. Being able to separate from these stressors is important and I believe a vital component to one's treatment. While it may be difficult to completely avoid these stressors, taking time each day to relax and unwind may be a key part to lowering the risk of mental illness. This can be a learning process for many, which is why I don't believe SSRIs and other psychotropic drugs should be the first response in treatment of a mental illness. The study done by Gretchen Daily and her Stanford colleagues has demonstrated that nature can only benefit patients, thereby supporting the use of alternative treatment options.
ReplyDeleteApril, I agree that alternative methods of treatment should be an initial avenue. For many individuals who choose to live in an urbanized setting, sparing a few minutes everyday to venture outside of the city to a natural setting may not be realistic. This meta-analysis (http://www.cfp.ca/content/57/6/659.long) conducted by Dr. Richard Nahas, M.D., looked at the efficacy of alternative treatments for major depressive disorder. Some treatment options such as St. John's Wort or folate supplementation have been documented to reduce depressive scores in a clinical setting. Since we started discussing embryology briefly yesterday in Anatomy, there is also the point of utilizing such alternative methods when working with pregnant and post-partum women. The 2013 research from Dr. Kristina M. Deligiannidis, M.D. and Marlene P. Freeman, M.D., suggest that alternative treatment options should be discussed with patients requesting them along with the benefits and risks of conventional pharmacological treatments (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3992885/). So as the data is inconclusive for the pregnant and post-partum women, I do think it is important to look at all viable treatment options and discuss them with patients.
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