# The effect of personalized forest therapy programs on stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients with depression

## TL;DR

Personalized forest therapy can reduce stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in people with depression, offering a promising non-drug treatment.

## Contribution

This study introduces personalized forest therapy as a novel non-pharmacological intervention for depression.

## Key findings

- Personalized forest therapy reduced stress levels in patients with depression.
- The therapy also decreased obsessive-compulsive symptoms in participants.

## Abstract

Depression is one of the most serious mental health disorders worldwide. Forest therapy has been shown to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention. This study examined the development and implementation of personalized forest therapy programs for patients with depression, particularly their effects on stress levels and obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Participants included 29 adults aged 20 to 50 years who had been diagnosed with mild depressive disorder. Using a randomized controlled trial design, the participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group (n = 17) and a control group (n = 12). The experimental group was provided with a personalized forest therapy program developed based on individual characteristics, while the control group continued with their usual medication and counseling treatment. The program was conducted once a week for 120 min over 4 weeks at Seoul Forest. Stress and obsessive-compulsive symptoms were measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), respectively.

The results showed that personalized forest therapy programs reduced both stress levels and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in the patients with depression. These findings suggest that personalized forest therapy programs could have a positive impact on the mental health of patients with depression and provide scientific evidence to support their integration into the healthcare sector.