UNH Researchers Show Impact of Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare More Lasting
Mental health and substance abuse issues in adolescents have become major societal problems, forcing parents and health providers to look for innovative treatment options that may better suit some teens. However, some proven therapy programs, like
"This is the first significant study to offer a well-matched comparison between outdoor therapy and more traditional treatments, like behavioral therapy," said
OBH, sometimes referred to as wilderness therapy, is a growing, innovative and therapeutic intervention for adolescents struggling with emotional, behavioral, relational, and substance abuse disorders. It is the prescriptive use of wilderness experiences - such as hiking, backcountry travel, climbing - by licensed mental health professionals to meet the therapeutic treatment needs of clients. It includes group-living and group therapy as well as one-on-one counseling sessions.
Adolescents in both study groups ranged in age from 12 to 17 years old. The OBH program used a continuous flow wilderness trek model, where the treatment team rotated in and out of ongoing groups on wilderness expedition. Clients received mental health, substance abuse, and general health care services while they were immersed in a wilderness-living experience. To address dysfunction in family dynamics and prepare participants to return home after treatment, family therapy was also provided. This group was compared to adolescents in the "treatment as usual" (TAU) group who remained at home in their community and received outpatient counseling, psychiatric care, and medication management.
At the end of both treatment groups, parents and participants provided feedback through a standard clinical questionnaire used in treatment to measure symptoms such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and other social issues. Parents of the OBH clients said their teens functioned significantly better after 14 months than the parents of the TAU group.
"Research shows that suicide is the second leading cause of death in youth ages 15 to 25 and 90 percent of those youth have an underlying mental health disorder," said
This work was supported in part by the
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