Greenery promotes mental health

The environment we live in affects our mental health so, by protecting it, we are ensuring a better quality of life, Richmond Foundation's chief executive officer Dolores Gauci said.

Her statement - made at the beginning of a seminar entitled The Environment And Its Effects On Mental Health - was backed up by the observations of various professionals who addressed the seminar held as part of the foundation's 15th year anniversary.

Psychiatrist Anton Grech said that, although there were no local studies on the subject and on the impact of construction on mental health, he had noticed that over-populated areas in Malta had a higher incidence of mental health problems. This was happening throughout the world.

Building on this argument, anatomy expert Marie Therese Camilleri Podestà stressed on the importance of personal contact with the environment when it came to mental health, especially since there was a worldwide trend whereby people were moving into urban areas.

Prof. Camilleri Podestà added that interaction with animals and exposure to greenery was beneficial to people's mental health, so much so that they were used as therapy for people suffering from mental health problems.

She explained that exposure to green areas is beneficial for various reasons: it stimulates physical activity, reduces stress levels, allows for better air quality and encourages social interaction and cohesion. Although green areas are lacking in Malta, the small size of the island made those few areas accessible.

"Urbanisation has brought about problems all over the world and we are now aware of them. These problems now have to be tackled to find a solution," she said.

And it is no secret that Malta too has been taken over by urbanisation. This was highlighted in the presentation of criminologist Saviour Formosa who projected an image taken from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority's 2005 State of the Environment Report. This image shows that urban areas were visible from about 98 per cent of the island - which means that it is rare to find a place where one feels immersed in nature.

Dr Formosa explained how a research tool (the Crisola Model) could be used to study the local mental health scenario with particular reference to residence location, social cohesion and the impacts of spatial planning on well-being, among other things. This would help to better understand mental health in Malta.

Social Psychologist Marilyn Clark addressed the issue of stigma and explained that, generally, attitudes adopted towards people with mental health problems are prejudiced or of a negative nature. Such negative views increase the stress levels of these individuals and their quality of life deteriorates, she said. This highlights the importance of individuals' attitudes towards people with mental health problems. Using politically-correct language and improving education on mental health are some of the ways to help diminish the stigma, she said.

At the end of the seminar, Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesman for sustainable development, Carmel Cacopardo, Labour MP Roderick Galdes and Nationalist MP Philip Mifsud took part in a round table debate. As they highlighted their party's stand on the environment, they agreed that more open spaces were needed to promote better mental health.