Healthy Environment ensures a healthy mind .. Dr. Sachchidanand Singh

When we talk about health the first thing that comes in our mind is physical health. However, we need to understand that mental health is also equally important for us. For many years we have been following – A healthy body holds a healthy mind but it’s the time to reverse the slogan. The mind is the hidden master of our body.

Mental illness contributes significantly to the global burden of mental disorders. It is therefore important to grasp how and to what extent environmental exposures affect our mental health. Mental disorders have a lifetime prevalence of two out of seven adults and will continue to remain a leading cause of disease burden. Such disorders have devastating consequences on the quality of life and also a striking challenge for health systems as a whole. Therefore, the reduction of mental disorders is a health priority in both developed and developing countries. This article is dedicated to the environmental factors that lead to stress and other mental health issues.

World Health Organization (WHO), defines mental health as:

“… a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”

Mental health includes emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and our decisions. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood to old age.

Mental health is not all about what’s going on inside our head. What’s happening outside our head is also important. From a cluttered bedroom to a poorly-lit office to the view from a window — it can all impact your well-being and state of mind.

The physical environment directly impacts our psychological health. That’s why we often think about what’s around us. And all that external stimuli has an effect! Maybe the laundry hasn’t been folded in three days, and it bugs you every time you go to bed. Or, our kitchen is dark and gloomy, and so cooking dinner makes us bore.

Adjusting our surroundings can dramatically improve your mental health. However, until now the role of a healthy environment plays in safeguarding human health had been greatly neglected. Although, things are changing as both citizens and government are now realizing that by helping nature we also improve our well-being. 

It is well-documented that human mental health emerges from a complex interplay between genetic, psychological, lifestyle, and other factors. In addition, people are also exposed to numerous environments. These environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, noise, green space, weather conditions, and housing conditions) might trigger mental disorders or be protective factors, facilitating stress reduction, mental recovery, etc. In this article, “environmental exposure” is understood in the broader sense.

Air pollution

The increase in air pollution due to rapid and heavy urbanization is one of the biggest environmental threats. It is particularly harmful to mankind, both physically—through damage to our lungs, heart, etc.—and mentally as well. There is now growing evidence of a link between certain air pollutants and mental illnesses such as depression, dementia, anxiety and suicide. The risk is especially high among young people living in urban areas. Contaminated dust from chipping, lead-based paint in poor quality, older homes, is a major route of lead exposure in children. Local governments can play a key role in tackling the mental health crisis by reducing air pollution, enhancing the availability of green cover or establishing electric and non-motorized transport initiatives.

Water

Lead and other heavy metals are toxic to our nervous system. Even very low levels of lead, manganese, cadmium, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and organophosphate pesticides concentration in blood may be associated with irritability, depression, anxiety in adults and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) decreased intelligence, behavioural difficulties and learning problems in children.

Crowds and loud noises   

Studies have shown that crowded rooms and loud exterior noises lead to higher rates of sleep deprivation, stress and anxiety disorders. Researchers have found that living in a city boosts activity in your amygdala – the part of our brain that’s associated with memory and emotional intelligence – and is affected when someone encroaches on our precious personal space.

Poor light

A lack of natural light can lead to seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – a type of depression also known as “winter blue”. But it’s not just winter lighting that can affect your mood. Our office lighting might put us down in the dumps, too. Poor lighting in offices and homes can lead to a range of mental disorders like stress, irritability and anxiety, especially when paired with a high-pressure environment.

Housing quality

House type (e.g., high-rise), floor level, and housing quality (e.g., structural problems) have all been linked to mental health. High-rise, multiple dwelling units are inimical to the psychological well-being of mothers with young children and possibly that of young children themselves. These effects seem particularly pronounced among low-income families. They tend to psychological distress that incorporates subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression. Suspected reasons for the link between high-rise housing and psychological distress are social isolation of mothers and restricted play opportunities for children. In many high-rise buildings, particularly for low-income families, insufficient resources are allotted to spaces that afford the development and maintenance of social networks. Lobbies, lounges, and other small-group spaces are absent or located too far from residences or in public areas that afford insufficient residential control and feelings of ownership (e.g., public lobby upon entrance). Women in large, high-rise housing developments report more loneliness and diminished territorial control in comparison to women of similar backgrounds living in other types of housing.

It has been seen that increased green cover or parks and gardens often helps in promoting positivity on individuals and can be a catalyst in reducing mental health problems. The increased green cover act as the lung of nature helping in reducing the pollution and relieving from stress. Improving the quality of air, water, noise, housing condition and surrounding could make us more relax and stress-free.

About the Author: Dr. Sachchidanand Singh

Dr. Sachchidanand Singh, completed MBBS from Patna Medical College, Patna in 2007 and MD – psychiatry from Central Institute Of Psychiatry in 2013 . His expertise on the field of Depression, Anxiety, Phobia, Mood Disorder, Schizophrenia, De- Addiction, Headache, Epilepsy and other Psychiatric illnesses help people of Bihar to fight with mental illness.