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Recreation to Help Prevent Suicide
Minding Our Bodies
Minding Our Bodies: Physical Activity for Mental Health project has synthesized the research evidence for physical activity’s beneficial effects upon people’s physical and mental health is convincing. Physical activity has been reported to help with a wide spectrum of issues ranging from self-esteem and sense of social inclusion to clinical disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Overall, there seem to be four avenues for these effects: prevention of poor mental health; improvement in mental health; treatment of mental disorders; and improvement in the quality of life of persons with mental illnesses.
Recreation for Mental Health
The Recreation for Mental Health (R4MH) is a collaborative effort of Dalhousie University, Recreation Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). The overall purpose of the R4MH project has been to promote collaboration between the health and recreation sectors in Nova Scotia in order to address the challenges associated with community recreation participation commonly experienced by people with mental health challenges. Through the development of practical resources and training based on extensive research, the Recreation for Mental Health Initiative strives to help community organizations create new programs and/or adapt existing ones for individuals with mental health challenges so that all people can experience the mental health benefits of recreation participation.