The term “Nature Deficit Disorder ( / Syndrome)” has rung a bell for me ever since I first heard it. Whilst it is most often used by parents to describe their fears for the next generation I see this also as being very applicable to adults in our city based working lives seemingly chained to office desks.
Copyright 2008 Gary Varvel – http://garyvarvel.com/
There has been plenty of anecdotal as well as scientific evidence (see some resource links below) that an ongoing deficit of exposure to nature can have detrimental effects also on adults physical and mental health.
Global Lecture Series: Are Our Cities Making Us Sick? from UQ Journalism & Communication.
Some further reading resources:
- Are our cities making us sick?: http://www.alumni.uq.edu.au/are-our-cities-making-us-sick
- Going outside improves memory, attention: http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/6892
- National Geographic – The Nature Deficit Disorder and How it is Impacting our Natural World: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/12/14/the-nature-deficit-disorder-and-how-it-is-impacting-our-natural-world-an-interview-with-dr-michael-hutchins/
- ABC Drum – How to treat Nature Deficit Disorder: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/33888.html
- Children & Nature Network: http://www.cnaturenet.org/
- No Child Left Inside: http://www.cbf.org/ncli/landing