Street trees close to the home may reduce the risk of depression

Street trees near the home may reduce the risk to suffer from depression

More trees immediately around the home (less than 100 meters) was associated with a reduced risk of being prescribed antidepressant medication. This association was especially strong for socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. As these social groups are at the greatest risk for being prescribed antidepressants in Germany, street trees in cities can thereby serve as a nature-based solution for good mental health, the researchers write. At the same time, street trees may also help reduce the ‘gap’ in health inequality between economically different social groups. No association of tree types, however, and depression could be shown in this study.

Urban street tree biodiversity and antidepressant prescriptions, Scientific Reports.

Release date: 25 January 2021
Source: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig