Can green space help protect us from self-harm and suicide?

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Trish Darcy on a systematic review which suggests a protective association between green space exposure and all suicide-related outcomes. The protective associations were stronger for women than for men.

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Nature’s healing benefits: breaking down barriers for South Asian communities in the UK

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Jingni Ma considers a systematic review on the barriers that South Asian people living in the UK can face when trying to access natural green spaces, and the psychological benefits that nature can provide.

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Care farms: can they help with depression, anxiety and quality of life?

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In her debut blog, Sophie Large appraises a recent Campbell systematic review exploring the impact of care farms on quality of life, depression and anxiety among different population groups.

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Should European cities be going green for our mental health?

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Eleana Frisira summarises a recent scoping review on the impact that green spaces can have on the mental health of people living in urban settings.

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“Mens sana in corpore sano”: outdoor activities can shape the body and mind

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Francesca Bentivegna and Dafni Katsampa summarise a recent mixed methods study, which looks at the mental health benefits of purposeful activities in public green spaces in urban and semi-urban neighbourhoods.

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Nature-based therapy for stress-related illnesses

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Danielle Rhydderch and Ian Collings review a new RCT in the British Journal of Psychiatry, which suggests that nature-based therapy is not significantly different to CBT for acute stress reactions, PTSD and adjustment disorders.

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Can we build cities that aren’t traps for those at risk of mental ill-health?

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Mark Brown blogs about the new Urban Mind study, which looks at how smartphones can measure the impact of nature on mental well-being in real time.

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Woodland walks and your ‘Elf

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Kirsten Lawson dons her walking boots and reports on the national Walks for Health (WfH) programme, which has been investigated in an observational study looking at the mental, emotional and social well-being of people who participate in woodland walks.

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