This study aimed to analyze the effects of a horticultural occupation therapy program using a healing garden on the emotional rehabilitation of patients with acute and chronic mental disorders, and to identify the possibility of using horticultural occupational therapy as a mental rehabilitation service to promote the social rehabilitation of patients with mental disorders. In this study, 20 patients diagnosed as chronic mental disorder at Seoul Metropolitan E hospital and 22 as acute mental disorder at Incheon H hospital were divided into 2 groups for Horticultural occupation therapy (HOT) and Group occupational therapy (GOT). General occupational therapy was provided 4 times a week for the experimental groups of patients with chronic and acute mental disorders, and a horticultural occupational therapy program using a healing garden was provided only once a week, a total of 12 sessions, for the experimental groups. For the control groups of patients with acute and chronic mental disorders, occupational therapy was provided 5 times a week only. Among the acute mental disorder patients, the treatment group showed a significant decrease in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and emotional stress scale (ES), whereas the control group didn’t (p<.001). On the other hand, such significant changes were not seen among the chronic GOT. Futhermore, the chronic HOT showed the significant effect in physical stress scale (PSE).

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of horticulture occupation therapy program via healing garden which is increasing the emotional stability and hand Dexterity enhancement on pre-vocational rehabilitation of chronic mental disorder. The current study included 29 patients who were diagnosed as chronic mental disorder under the rehabilitation service at E capital hospital in Seoul from February to December 2010. All of patients participated with agreement in this study, then were divided randomly by experimental (n=17) and control groups (n=12). Therapeutic program was consisted with total 38 sessions, and performed once a week for 10 months. Experimental group was treated with horticultural occupational therapy program using a healing garden (one time), as well as general occupational therapy (four times) in a week. Control group was conducted only general occupational therapy five times a week. To evaluate the effects of program, physical and psychological stress test and hand dexterity test was used before and after program. The program was based on the person-centered therapy, then paired t-test was used to compare the results before and after the program. In the results of present study, there were no significant differences of psychological and physical stress between before and after the therapy in experimental and control group, respectively. However, hand dexterity of experimental group was markedly changed between before (112..4±50.9 sec) and after (82.1±40.6 sec) therapy. Moreover, the speed of performance in GPT was increased with rising therapeutic sessions, indicating the hand dexterity was improved after program. These results demonstrated that horticultural occupation therapy program using the healing garden is beneficial for pre-vocational rehabilitation of chronic mental disorder.

The purpose of this study was to assess viewpoints about criminal liability as one of the elements of the crime and present the importance of professional expertise on diagnosis of mental illness and physical defects. It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution under current criminal law that at the time of the commission of the acts constituting the offense, the defendant, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts. Mental disease or defect does not otherwise constitute a defense. In criminal trials, the insanity defenses are possible defenses by excuse, by which defendants argue that they should not be held criminally liable for breaking the law because they were legally insane at the time of the commission of alleged crimes. The legal definition of “mental and physical disorder” is, in criminal cases, quite different from psychiatric definitions of it. This excuse is based on evaluations by forensic professionals that the defendant was incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong at the time of the offense. This study suggest the important steps in the direction of examining and analyzing the role of psychiatric diagnosis according to the responsibilities of the evaluator. It is anticipated that there will be further work in these areas to address not only diagnoses but forensic recommendations and opinions.

Many of papers are reported that Psychiatric Rehabilitation therapy has an effect on maintaining the therapeutic effects as drug side effects and high relapse rate for Mentally ill Patients has become a social problem. This study applied HT program to an inpatient in psychiatric wards, as HT program could divert psychological energy into affirmative attitude, in result, to confirm social and psychological benefits such as relief of psychiatric symptoms, Improvement of social behavior and behavioral change. The study was accomplished to offer data to be considered HT program promoting a synergistic role for psycho-pharmacological as a part of Psychiatric Rehabilitation therapies.

This study investigated that the effect of horticultural therapy on Serotonin level of mental disorder who is treated by medication in closed mental care unit.. This study present basic data which horticultural therapy could play an important role at mental rehabilitation field for the synergy effect on medication.