New project finds football has a positive impact on mental health conditions

A collaborative project with NHS Tayside and NHS Fife has shown organised football sessions have a direct improvement on the lives of people with mental health conditions like schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. Since December 2015, Abertay University academics Emma Lamont, and Professor Geoff Dickens have been working on a collaborative project with both NHS Tayside and NHS Fife which offers regular five-a-side football and walking football sessions to people who have experience of mental health conditions. The research, which is due to be published, found participants reported a range of positive benefits from the sessions including an enhanced ability to form and sustain relationships and friendships, improved fitness and health, and a feeling of peer support from team mates.

Read more at: http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/new-project-finds-football-has-a-positive-impact-on-mental-health-conditions-1-4406365

It may help some but if like me you were a non starter when it came to football, or other sporting skills,it would be rather useless.

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I think any physical exercise helps according to research.

You are probably right. However I have too many bad memories of negative peer reactions because I was very poor at football etc. If the people you played the sports with were civilised it would be a different matter.

Some of these nasty children who reject and ostracise others will grow up to be decent adults but many won’t. They’ll be the adults to let rip at you if you play badly.

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This is rest-of-the-world football and not American football, correct? Because I can’t see repeated concussions being good for anybody’s mental health.

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If I remember correctly, it is called “soccer” in the US.

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Correct. 15 characters bathing in chocolate milk.

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ha @Ninjastar i was coming to throw down the same argument… but i forget we are the only ones who use football to talk about… what do you all call American football… ah i think i answered that on my own…lol

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An official 2012 FIFA video about ‘football therapy’ as applied to Sz.