Benefits of Urban Forest Healing Program on Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Depressive Patients.

Depression is considered a widespread mental health problem worldwide. Moreover, anxiety symptoms are very closely related to depression in patients, and it is known that the coexistence rate of depression and anxiety diagnosed simultaneously is high. Treatment and preventive management of depression and anxiety are essential for public health. Forest healing is attracting attention as a form of low-cost preventive medicine that is safe and has no side effects. However, although the physiological and psychological effects have been scientifically proven, it is insufficient to reveal a direct relationship between forest healing and depression. This study investigated the benefits of an urban forest healing program on depression and anxiety symptoms in depressive disorders. We employed a randomized controlled trial design. Forty-seven depressive patients were randomly divided into an urban forest healing program group and a control group. Measures included the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale (MADRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires. Our results revealed that the combination of general treatment and forest healing programs for patients with depression is more effective in improving depression and anxiety than routine treatment alone. We expect our work to serve as a starting point for more sophisticated research discussing the availability of non-pharmacological treatments in forest healing.

Effects of Urban Forest Therapy Program on Depression Patients.

Depression is a common serious mental health condition that can have negative personal and social consequences, and managing it is critical for treating depression patients. Forest therapy is emerging as a promising non-pharmacological intervention to improve mental health. However, although the effectiveness of forest therapy programs using forests far from the city has been proven, it is not well known that urban forests can be easily accessed in daily life. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effects of an urban forest therapy program on depression symptoms, sleep quality, and somatization symptoms of depression patients. To evaluate this, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design was employed. A total of 47 depression patients participated in this study (22 in the urban forest therapy program group and 25 in the control group). The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) were administered to each participant to assess the effects of the urban forest therapy program. The results of this study revealed that depression patients in the urban forest therapy program had significantly alleviated depression symptoms and improved sleep quality and somatization symptoms compared to the control group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the possibility that the urban forest therapy program could be used as an effective non-pharmacological treatment to alleviate depression disorder.

Effect of Forest Therapy on Depression and Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effects of forest therapy on depression and anxiety using data obtained from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies. We searched SCOPUS, PubMed, MEDLINE(EBSCO), Web of science, Embase, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Sharing Service, and DBpia to identify relevant studies published from January 1990 to December 2020 and identified 20 relevant studies for the synthesis. The methodological quality of eligible primary studies was assessed by ROB 2.0 and ROBINS-I. Most primary studies were conducted in the Republic of Korea except for one study in Poland. Overall, forest therapy significantly improved depression (Hedges's g = 1.133; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.491 to -0.775) and anxiety (Hedges's g = 1.715; 95% CI: -2.519 to -0.912). The quality assessment resulted in five RCTs that raised potential concerns in three and high risk in two. Fifteen quasi-experimental studies raised high for nine quasi-experimental studies and moderate for six studies. In conclusion, forest therapy is preventive management and non-pharmacologic treatment to improve depression and anxiety. However, the included studies lacked methodological rigor and required more comprehensive geographic application. Future research needs to determine optimal forest characteristics and systematic activities that can maximize the improvement of depression and anxiety.

A Case of Epidural Abscess Formation and Lateral Sinus Thrombophlebitis Complicating Chronic Otitis Media with Cholesteatoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

The incidence of intracranial complications of otitis media, including lateral sinus thrombophlebitis, has been significantly reduced since the advent of antibiotics. This entity is rarely encountered in clinical practice, and delay in its diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapy may lead to serious, or even fatal, consequences. The signs and clinical course of lateral sinus thrombophlebitis are non-specific and the final diagnosis rests upon radiological investigations including CT-scans and MRI. We have experienced a case of middle fossa and posterior fossa epidural abscess formation, lateral sinus thrombophlebitis that has developed secondary chronic otitis media with cholesteatoma in a 47 year-old female patient. We report this case which was successfully treated by middle fossa dura and posterior fossa dura drainage, lateral sinus thrombectomy with open mastoidectomy.