The Effect of Therapeutic Horticulture on Depression and Kynurenine Pathways

Timea Hitter (Buru),Loredana E Olar,Răzvan Ştefan,Maria Cantor,Ionel Papuc,Silvia Chiorean,Erzsebet Buta,Éva Kállay

doi:10.15835/nbha47311544

Abstract

The article presents the results of a study conducted to assess change in depression severity, and modification in the kynurenine pathway at participants. Presently, depression is one of the most regularly encountered mental illnesses. Research based on experimental studies indicated the beneficial effects of activities conducted in nature are reducing self-reported anger, fatigue, anxiety, stress and depression. The present study was conducted by measuring depression on both the subjective (Beck Depression Inventory) and the objective (spectrophotometric analysis) levels, to obtain more relevant information regarding the real change in depression levels, during the therapeutic horticulture intervention. Consequently, depression is assessed with the BDI doubled the data by assessing the levels of kynurenine and kynurenic acid obtained from biological samples. Results indicate that the levels of depression measured with the BDI have significantly decreased after the Therapeutic Horticulture Sesions. An even better result regards the fact that the significance of this change was not only statistical, but also clinical. Analysing the kynurerine and kynurenic acid concentrations, differences were observed amongst subject during the research study.

Highlights

The last four-five decades have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number and the diversity of life-challenges
The investigation of depression level was assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and doubled the obtained data by assessing the levels of biomarkers - kynurenine and kynurenic acid contribution obtained from biological samples
Based on the investigations made by measuring the effects of the therapeutic horticulture investigation, to achieve changes in the BDI score and contribution of the fluorophores in the kynurenine pathway, the evidencebased research reveals that Therapeutic Horticulture (TH) can have a possible positive effect decreases in depression level

Summary

Introduction

The last four-five decades have witnessed an unprecedented increase in the number and the diversity of life-challenges. A constantly increase of population fraction has presented significant symptoms of stress, impairing different aspects of functioning (physiological, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, social etc.) (Falvo, 2005; Levenson, 2006; Aldwin, 2007; Banyard et al, 2009; Kendall-Tackett, 2009; National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 2009; Lanius et al, 2010; Pennebaker and Chung, 2011) The number of those who suffer of mental illness of clinical intensity has been constantly increase along the years, depression being one of the most frequently encountered mental illnesses (Andrade et al, 2003; Cunningham et al, 2006; Cuijpers et al, 2007; Weehuizen, 2008).

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