Each week we publish blog posts on a whole range of topics, relating in some way to mental health — written by Mind staff, service users and health and policy professionals. Some blog posts may not reflect official Mind policy.
We welcome comments and questions on our posts, but have a few ground rules to keep the site welcoming and interesting to every body. The first rule is the most important: be respectful of other commenters and bloggers.
Conversations about cats seem to be all the rage at Mind at the moment. No, we're not expanding our remit; staff and volunteers who are proud pet owners are discussing the latest in pet psychology books.
From my point of view, it is animals or pets as therapy for either physical or mental health issues that is the topic, whether it be the option to get a dog in Lewisham using your individual budget care allowance or swimming with dolphins to cure depression.
Read a little closer, and of course the questions start coming. A review of studies into dolphin-assisted therapy found that the studies were methodologically flawed and also failed to investigate any long term benefits. Another review of the link between pet ownership and health found that research this decade found no reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, no decrease in the use of primary care and no psychological or physical benefits to older people living in the community associated with pet ownership.
Kruger and Serpell writing in Handbook on animal-assisted therapy "Despite their long history and the unequivocally positive media attention they typically receive, animal-assisted interventions are currently best described as a category of promising complementary practices that are still struggling to demonstrate their effectiveness and validity" (p.21).
Even recent research looking at therapy using farm animals failed to adequately control for effects of working outdoors or increased socialisation opportunities as being part of the research and not the control group. Then there is the need to consider the impact on the animals being used for therapy.
If this sort of therapy option gets positive media attention then researchers should harness that interest to plan and fund robust research to investigate the effectiveness of what could be a relatively safe, inexpensive and non-invasive treatment option.
Bridget O'Connell, Head of Information
11 CommentsEcotherapy - the latest buzz word in mental health circles. Getting out and about, to you and me. Green exercise, improving your well being by joining a walking or gardening group, or pulling shopping trolleys out the canal or flying a kite - all that kind of stuff.
Sounds simple enough, but it's an idea whose time has come. Mind knew that already of course. Local Mind groups have been running green projects for years, because we've known that getting outside and a bit active can do wonders for your mental health. But this is different. These days people know about conservation, renewable energy, global warming, carbon footprints and climate change.
When we launched the Ecominds funding scheme interest was slow but my goodness - how that changed. The scheme is now over subscribed thanks to a massive level of public interest. Ecominds - is Ecotherapy in action, an idea whose time has come.
Every Ecominds project is designed to improve the wellbeing of people with direct experience of mental distress. Sadly Mind can't fund every bid we get - there isn't enough money - but we are seeing some great, innovative projects designed for communities across England. We've even got a proposal to set up a sustainable Eco burials programme - a recycling angle which is definitely a Mind first.
The projects are all inspirational in their own way, but one thing they have in common is that every single one brings people coping with mental health problems into a community environmental setting, helping chip away at the stigma and prejudice that often surrounds mental health issues.
Ten months since Ecominds launched, the first success stories are arriving. First away is a fantastic garden built to seriously professional standards at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show in July. It bagged a Silver Medal with a Gold missed by the slimmest of margins.
Barry Watts, Grants Manager
1 CommentI'm off on holidays to the Antipodes soon and so I am probably the only person who harks back to the days when jumpers filled the shelves in August but all you really wanted was that summer dress. Now the shops are all stocking more seasonal wares, another change attributed to the recession. Trying on woollies when it's sunny outside makes you feel strangely disconnected.
With the publication in Britain of Richard Louv's book, columnists have been considering whether their children are being deprived of the benefits of growing up alongside nature. Surely all of us could benefit from welcoming a bit more nature into our lives and living in harmony with the seasons? It is established that "contact with nature promotes health and wellbeing", yet we've never been more urban or cut off from the natural environment. I've got a good excuse - a holiday with time and space to reconnect with nature and feel the sand between my toes (actually, it will be more sand blowing in my face at this time of year!).
It is worth remembering that even the over-crowded UK has wonderful nature reserves and open spaces that we can all find the time and energy to enjoy. Venturing into the great outdoors can be cheap or even free and benefits your body and mind, what more could you ask for?
Bridget O'Connell, Head of Information