The natural health service : what the great outdoors can do for your mind / Isabel Harman.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction: madness and orchidelirium -- Why we need nature -- Sowing the seeds of sanity -- Obsessing about nature -- Walking the black dog -- Racing out of the darkness -- Cold water that warms the soul -- All creatures great and sane -- Does it really work? -- The natural health service : a manifesto.

In 2016, Isabel Hardman's mind, in her own words, 'stopped working' as she fell prey to severe depression and anxiety. She took time off on long-term sick leave and despite several relapses has returned to work in much better health. She has since become one of the country's most prominent public voices on mental health issues. She credits her recovery to her passion for exercise, nature and the great outdoors - from horse-riding and botany to cold-water swimming and running. In The Natural Health Service, she will draw on her own personal experience, interviews with mental illness sufferers and psychologists, and the latest research to examine what role wildlife and fresh air can play in helping anyone cope with mental illness. Straight-talking, thoroughly-researched, and compassionate, this important and often funny book will fascinate anyone touched by a mental health condition, whether themselves or through the experiences of a loved one.