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Feel blue, touch green: examples of green spaces promoting mental health

Part of: Green Psychiatry Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Claire Henderson-Wilson  and
Rona Weerasuriya
Claire Henderson-Wilson
Affiliation:
School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia, email [email protected]
Rona Weerasuriya
Affiliation:
School of Health and Social Development, Deakin University, Burwood, Australia
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Abstract

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The design of hospital environments with an increased focus on incorporating nature and natural features has been reported to have multiple health and well-being benefits. This paper reports on three Australian case studies that each investigated the relationship between green spaces and people's mental health. The results suggest that gardens or other green spaces should be included within plans for future healthcare design. While we acknowledge that there are a range of considerations in the allocation of healthcare resources and programmes for maximum benefit, we believe that those programmes which highlight the beneficial outcomes for people with mental illness of ‘feeling blue and touching green’ are worth implementing.

Type
Thematic Papers
Information
BJPsych International , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , November 2017 , pp. 85 - 87
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Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits noncommercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2017

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