Fotboll hjälper mot schizofreni och depression

An Italian psychiatrist is obtaining startling results with patients suffering from schizophrenia and depression by enlisting them in a competitive football team. Mauro Raffaeli trains his players, many of whom cannot work and are on psychiatric medication, twice a week on a pitch on the outskirts of Rome.

Of the 80 who have passed through the ranks since the team formed in 1993, over half have cut down their drug intake, but more importantly, more than half have returned to work. "Drugs you can often never get rid of, but reintegrating into society is as important," he said.

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"Mental health sufferers are often locked inside themselves, and football allows them to open up," said film-maker Volfango di Biasi, who wants to de-stigmatise illnesses such as schizophrenia in the film. ¹

Fysisk aktivitet är positivt för människan, vem kunde ana det?