Feeling a bit low? It could be time to take a hike

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Now a charity is calling for country walks to become a recognised treatment for those with mental health problems.

It says such walks can help reduce depression and raise self-esteem, and wants 'ecotherapy' to become widely available.

A study carried out by Essex University for the charity Mind compared the benefits of a 30-minute walk in a country park with a walk in an indoor shopping centre on a group of 20 members of Mind associations.

After the country walk, 71 per cent reported decreased levels of depression and said they felt less tense, while 90 per cent reported increased self-esteem.

After the shopping centre walk only 45 per cent said they experienced a decrease in depression - and 22 per cent said they felt more depressed.

Fifty per cent also felt more tense and 44 per cent said their self-esteem had dropped after window-shopping.

The university also conducted a second study, asking 108 people with various mental health problems about their experiences of 'ecotherapy'.

Ninety-four per cent said green activities had benefited their mental health and lifted depression, while 90 per cent said the combination of nature and exercise had the greatest effect.

Mind describes ecotherapy as "getting outdoors and getting active in a green environment as a way of boosting mental well-being".

Chief executive Paul Farmer said: "It is a credible, clinically valid treatment option and needs to be prescribed by GPs, especially when for many people access to treatments other than anti-depressants is extremely limited.

"We're not saying that ecotherapy can replace drugs but that the debate needs to be broadened."

If it was prescribed as part of mainstream practice, ecotherapy could potentially help millions, he added.

It would also be vastly cheaper than anti-depressant drugs, has no side-effects and is readily available on everyone's doorstep, according to Mind.