Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Date of Graduation

Spring 2018

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Department

School of Nursing

Advisor(s)

Christine Fasching-Maphis

Betsy Herron

Joy Harnage

Debbie C. Sturm

Abstract

The United States has an overwhelming number of people suffering from mental illness, especially anxiety and depression. These disorders can be debilitating in many areas of the person’s life. Not even half of those diagnosed with these conditions are treated effectively and costs are expected to rise significantly in the coming years. One population that is often overlooked that suffers from these conditions is health professionals themselves. Physicians and nurses have high rates of depression and anxiety due to the stress from their occupation. In order for more patients and providers to be treated and for the health care system to save money, simple, inexpensive, and proactive interventions must be utiliized to prevent the development of these disorders. Nature-assisted therapy, which involves working with plants and natural areas as a form of rehabilitation, has been shown to have positive emotional, cognitive, and physical outcomes. Based on information from numerous studies, current and future health professionals and the general public should utilize this as a resource for a non-pharmological treatment for mental disorders.

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