PL | EN
27 January 2023
#251
Offshore dairies, AI in education and the faces of depression

Reducing medication for depression and nature versus mental health

New draft quality of care standards  for adults with depression, developed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), provide detailed guidance on how to help adults come off antidepressants ultimately. NICE is the executive public body of the Department of Health and Social Care in England and an independent advisory body of experts in treating adults with depression. For patients who want to stop taking antidepressants, NICE recommends phasing them out, which helps reduce the effects of withdrawal and long-term dependence on the drug. According to the Office for National Statistics, around one in six (16%) British adults experience moderate or severe depression. In England alone, 21.4 million antidepressants were prescribed between July and September 2022.

Based on an analysis of responses from 16,000 randomly selected residents of Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa, researchers from the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare recommend visits to parks, gardens and other urban green spaces as a way to reduce city dwellers’ intake of anti-anxiety, insomnia, depression, hypertension and asthma medication. Visiting forests, cemeteries, zoos, meadows, heaths and wetlands three to four times a week reduces the likelihood of taking asthma medication by around ¼, and medication for mental health problems or high blood pressure by ⅓.

More about: EuropeFinlandHealthNaukaTopicUnited Kingdom
Read also
Bird populations in the world and the impact of human activities
Bird populations in the world and the impact of human activities
A group of experts from Finland, Denmark, Great Britain, and Spain have conducted research on bird species and their vulnerability to human-dominated habitats. The study examined around 6,000 bird species worldwide and found that 80% of them are at risk of being negatively impacted by urbanization, air pollution, and climate change. While some species can […]
Evolution based on collaboration and human superpowers
Evolution based on collaboration and human superpowers
Scientists from the University of California have discovered that some individuals possess abilities that go beyond the norm and can be considered “superpowers”. For instance, sherpas living in the Himalayas have the ability to survive in an atmosphere with 40% less oxygen than sea level regions. They have evolved to maintain low levels of red […]
Countries against NGOs: Slovakia, Albania, Kyrgyzstan
Countries against NGOs: Slovakia, Albania, Kyrgyzstan
The Slovak National Party (SNS) is proposing a law to increase transparency in non-governmental organisations (NGOs). According to the proposed law, NGOs that receive more than 5,000 euros per year in foreign financing would be marked and labelled as “organisations with foreign support”. Additionally, SNS is also suggesting the expansion of the possibility of compulsory […]
Student integration in Senegal and corruption in Indian education
Student integration in Senegal and corruption in Indian education
In Maharashtra, India’s most prosperous state, cheating during exams for lower government jobs prevents candidates from escaping the agricultural crisis. It happens that over a million people apply for a job, and just over 850,000 candidates take the exam for 4,600 vacancies. Some people pass dozens of exams but are cheated and robbed by the […]
Unmanned aerial vehicles in armed conflicts
Unmanned aerial vehicles in armed conflicts
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Russia has more than doubled the production of unique systems to deter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Over the last year, the demand for such systems has quadrupled. As a consequence, private companies, particularly those in the oil and gas sector, are seeking to protect themselves from increasing […]
Previous issues