-Upper-Intermediate

-Topic: Environment

-Ten Vocabulary Words

[boost, active, recommend, indicate, self-esteem, remarkable, prescription, benefit, GP, option]

-http://www.headsupenglish.com/index.php/upper-intermediate-students/upper-intermediate-news-lessons/upper-intermediate-environment-lessons/280-ecotherapy

Have you heard of ecotherapy? Supporters in the UK believe it is a new, more effective treatment against depression. In order to boost mental health, people should get outside and get active in a green environment. Ecotherapy will hopefully give new choices to future mental health treatments. Physicians would recommend ecotherapy in addition to or instead of traditional drugs.

The University of Essex conducted the study. It compared people who walked thirty minutes in a country park with people who walked for thirty minutes in a shopping mall. Seventy-one percent of the people who walked in the park indicated that they had decreased levels of depression. Ninety percent reported increased levels of self-esteem, too. The mall walkers had less remarkable results. Only 45% experienced lower levels of depression. Even worse, 22% actually felt more depressed.

The study was conducted in the UK. Recent statistics point to a huge rise in people taking anti-depressant medication. Doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions last year, which is a 6% increase. The figures point to a future which has experts worried about the mental health of the nation.

A separate study showed even more positive results. A combination of nature and exercise benefited 90% of the participants. GPs need to understand that ecotherapy is a scientifically proven option for better mental health.