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March 30, 2009
Psychiatrist emphasizes importance of play as way of combating depression
USA Today (3/24, Lloyd) reports that "during these difficult economic times," psychiatrist Stuart Brown, MD, urges people to "find regular time to play," or else risk becoming depressed.
In his "new book, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul," Dr. Brown reveals "what goes wrong when people do not play," sharing the results of "more than 6,000 play studies on everyone from serial killers to substance abusers to career-driven CEOs."
Dr. Brown explained the particular importance of play "during periods that are sustainedly stressful, like now where we don't see an end to this economic downturn." For the "play-challenged," he advises "opening up to the idea that play is a state of mind."
Dr. Brown defines play as "an absorbing, apparently purposeless activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of self-consciousness and sense of time."
Posted by admin at March 30, 2009 05:32 PM