Mental health patients invited to join art and gardening therapy
A SCHEME to use nature to tackle mental health in North Yorkshire’s largest coastal town is being expanded after organisers said it had provided a vital lifeline for patients.
Gardening has been employed to help people overcome mental health problems for the past three years in Scarborough, with the therapeutic benefits of engaging with the natural environment aiding their recovery.
The project, which has been overseen by the NHS and North Yorkshire County Council, is being developed to incorporate a new art scheme, while organisers are also looking to expand the gardening initiative by using allotments in the town.
The county council’s mental health service manager, Elaine Hewitt, said: “Sometimes people with mental health issues can be excluded so this is about making it more accessible to all.
“When someone is at a time when they are mentally unwell, it can be difficult for their emotional well-being, as most people with mental health conditions have experienced some kind of trauma.
“Art allows an opportunity for people to express emotions around experiences they find difficult to talk about. It provides a kind of distraction. Therapy through art also allows people to feel included.”
Research published in the Mental Health Journal cited how gardening can help tackle stress, and also reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Meanwhile, another study conducted by neuroscientists found that creating art reduces the brain’s markers for stress, and that producing artworks can induce a positive mental state.
The gardening scheme in Scarborough was first established at Cross Lane Hospital as an activity for people staying at the site to get involved in activities which were deemed to be therapeutic.
A vegetable patch was created, and flower growing and chickens were also introduced, with the county council’s support time recovery worker, Paula Boulton, making weekly visits to oversee the scheme.
It was set up to benefit patients on the Ayckbourn Unit, but has now been rolled out to the wider community.
Ms Boulton said: “It is about getting social contact so people are not isolated, as well as building up their confidence and selfesteem. It definitely makes an impact on their well-being.”
The new collaboration, with the Crescent Arts group in Scarborough, will see patients at Cross Lane Hospital, which is a hub for mental health services on the North Yorkshire coast, being offered the opportunity to express themselves through art.
The scheme will run on wards but it will be monitored for the potential of expanding it into the local community. The council will support the project, which is also funded by the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
Therapy through art also allows people to feel included. North Yorkshire County Council mental health service manager Elaine Hewitt.