A couple news items have appeared this week on gardening as a therapeutic tool (1, 2) for those struggling with psychological issues from Alzheimer’s to schizophrenia. The idea is solid. It allows people to become interested in a new activity, gets them outside …
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Psychologists and psychiatrists need to take a closer look at environmental factors as they concern mental health functioning. Gardening is a great metaphor for tending to one’s mental health by developing good mental health habits. Gardening has great therapeutic value because it connects a person with nature in an intimate way.
Concerning the article above, on using genetic profiles, ostensibly to work in the best interest of patients, I’m not happy with society’s tendency to overemphasize genetic factors as they pertain to mental health. Genetic profiling is an incredibly slippery slope. Furthermore, as a psychologist, who works as a part of a mental health team that includes psychiatrists whom I have the utmost respect for, I am also aware that the trend these days is to place too much emphasis on genetic factors and physiological concomitants of depression and other mental health conditions. Depression is as much a psychological and a spiritual condition as it is a genetic or physiologically-based condition. In the following song, depression is depicted in metaphorical terms and the experience of overcoming depression shares characteristics with the experience of an exorcism of sorts.
Mrs. Pain
words and music by Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT (c)2006
http://www.drblt.net/music/mrspane.mp3
Personal loss also has a profound influence on one’s mood, as depicted in this song:
Window Pain
words and music by Dr. Bruce L. Thiessen, aka Dr. BLT (c)2006
http://www.drblt.net/music/windowPAIN.mp3
Have a great depression-free day!
Bruce
aka Dr. BLT
The World’s First Blog n Roll Artist
Hello Dr. BLT,
I’d venture to say that indeed many psychologists in fact emphasize the environment MORE than biological factors, although we are moving into an era where bioogical explanations and treatment are dominating due to technological advances. Hence the disproportinate amount of headlines about biology.