New Conceptual Framework for Mental Health in the Urban Environment

A new conceptual framework for identifying new prevention and treatment methods for common mental disorders in urban areas is the need of the hour, according to UvA researchers from the Centre for Urban Mental Health (UMH) in their paper published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

People who live in cities face many challenges such as depression, anxiety and addiction that threaten their mental health.

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‘Understanding the complex relationships between urban factors and mental health is vital for treating common mental disorders.’

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‘Life in the city is attractive in many ways, but it also has various unintended disadvantages,' says lead author Junus van der Wal.

Amid the increasing incidence of common mental disorders and ongoing urbanisation around the world, there is an urgent need to better understand the dynamic interplay between these areas.

A sample scenario given by the researchers in their position paper, makes it clear how different factors can interact and how important it is to look at the connection between factors.

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Jane lives in a big city, in a neighbourhood with little greenery. Her flat is close to a busy road. Jane has a low income, so she is often stressed about money. Constant traffic noise disturbs her sleep and causes insomnia.

Her work performance is suffering as a result, which further increases her money stress. In addition, air pollution from the traffic on the busy road may affect the functioning of Jane's brain.

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‘Moreover, there are often feedback loops in these models. If many people in the area have mental health problems, for example, this can have a negative impact on the social cohesion of the neighbourhood, which in turn can have a negative effect on the residents,’ says Claudi Bockting, co-director of UMH and professor of Clinical Psychology within Psychiatry.

If the place where Jane lives were ready to invest in sustainable development by creating a park between the building where Jane lives and the busy road, this could help Jane.

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This kind of intervention could reduce stress and traffic congestion, possibly increase social cohesion in the neighbourhood and help to counteract air pollution.

Working towards a new conceptual framework for all future research on mental health in the urban environment is the only way to see how all the factors interact and affect individuals, and also to come up with targeted interventions and treatments to improve the mental health of urban dwellers.

Source-Medindia