Environmental exposures and mental health

Consideration of psychological health and mental disorders is necessary for understanding the breadth of effects that environmental exposures can have on human health. Some common toxicants disrupt biological processes in ways that can contribute to psychopathology. While direct biological exposures are one pathway for these effects, there is evidence that the threat of exposure may also contribute to negative psychological outcomes. Environmental disasters and climate change are clearly associated with psychological effects, and disasters increase the prevalence of certain psychiatric disorders. In contrast, exposure to positive environments can promote adaptive mental health and is associated with reduced risk of psychopathology.

Duke Scholars

Author Aaron Reuben