Difficulty concentrating, hyperactivity, mood disorders, insecurity and anxiety: among the causes of the increasingly widespread occurrence of these symptoms in the child populations of many Western countries could be the progressive distancing of children from the natural environment.

Photo: © Silvana Santo

The first to put forward this hypothesis, theorising the existence of a Nature Deficit Disorder, was Richard Louv, an American expert in psychotherapy, adviser to the National Scientific Council, founder of the Children and Nature Network, and columnist for the New York Times. His hypothesis is set out in the book L'ultimo bambino nei boschi: salvare i nostri figli dal disturbo da carenza di natura (Rizzoli, 2006, euro 19), in which the author describes the consequences of an ever-deeper detachment from natural elements on the psyche of children and adolescents. This distancing from nature is a particularly evident aspect of American society, where the traditional habit of spending free time on outdoor activities — from fishing to wild camping, from trekking to winter sledging outings — is being severely tested by the progressive "technologisation" of society and the consequent abandonment of natural environments.

Photo: © Silvana Santo

According to Louv, the rise in childhood cases of attention disorders and depressive syndromes (according to the Consumer Report website, the number of American children taking psychotropic drugs has tripled over the past 10–15 years) is also attributable to this phenomenon, and could be reduced by promoting children's return to nature. In particular, the psychotherapist argues that, especially at a very young age, the absence — or near absence — of contact with trees, meadows, animals and bodies of water may encourage the onset of hyperactivity, attention disorders, aggression, learning deficits and self-harming tendencies.

Photo: © Silvana Santo

Since then, his hypothesis has been embraced by many other experts in child psychiatry, who are in any case convinced that nature can help — as pet therapy and thalassotherapy demonstrate — even in cases where the distress stems from other factors. Allowing children to play in contact with the earth, with trees and animals could therefore help them achieve greater balance and self-confidence, or, more simply, to be happier. With no side effects and at no cost, moreover: perhaps it is worth a try.