July 13, 2007, Cheaper than Prozac, By Robert de Gast

Sometimes, when I’m evangelizing about the pleasures of photography and the attendant benefits, I’ll sum up my lecture by saying, sort of as a final salvo: “It’s also cheaper than Prozac!” That always gets a laugh or a dubious smile. But I mean it.

Making photographs takes you into a world beyond yourself, a world that forces you to (well, lets you) look for beautiful (or bizarre) situations and scenes. And you can’t do that while driving at 65 miles per hour down some highway. So, photographers have to walk. And that also will make you feel happier. I know. I do it all the time! And now there’s proof!

Doctors in the US last year wrote 190 million prescriptions for antidepressants. For many, perhaps most people, these medications are lifesavers, though many critics question whether some psychiatrists are handing out the most commonly prescribed antidepressants—selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—like candy to any patient going through a rough time. Now new research indicates there’s an alternative treatment for mild depression that is cheaper and just as effective: spending time engaged in vigorous activity in the outdoors.

Researchers at Britain’s Essex University asked 20 people suffering from depression to take a 30-minute walk—some in a wooded park and others in an indoor shopping center. After the country walk, 71 percent said they felt less depressed, and 90 percent said it made them feel better about themselves. After the shopping center walk, on the other hand, only 45 percent felt less depressed, and 22 percent said they felt more depressed. Another 44 percent said their self-esteem had fallen. In a second study on “ecotherapy,” 108 people went cycling or walking, or took part in outdoor conservation projects. Afterward, 94 percent said such “green” exercise had improved their mental health.

I think photography is a vigorous activity. And it’s not just the walking. It’s the exploring, the poking around, the looking for different angles, the search for a better view, the quest for more beauty, for a yet more interesting image.

So, don’t shop till you drop. Think of “Shoot: it’s a hoot!” Or instead of “You press the button and we do the rest,” how about “I press the button and won’t be depressed.”

Robert de Gast is a professional photographer and the author of nine books. He offers short photography tutorials and conducts workshops and photo safaris. He can be reached at 152-7396 or robertdegast@hotmail.com.