Mental illness is today regarded as a widespread health challenge around the world. Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that around one in four people suffers from a mental illness during some point in their lives.¹ According to the Substance Abuse and Mental health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in the US alone, 18.5 percent experience a form of mental illness. In comparison, 4.2 percent experienced a type of severe mental illness.²

Influence of Environmental Factors on Mental Health

Mental illness produces some of the most challenging health issues in society, accounting for a huge number of hospitalizations, disabilities that result in billions of dollars in lost productivity, and a sharply high risk for suicide.³ While there is still a lot that researchers and clinical psychologists do not understand about mental illness, but one common factor that has been deduced is that these conditions are multi-causal and complex. While many tend to assume that mental illness has a genetic factor and runs in families, but the truth is that though genetics may play a part in it, there is a combination of factors that are believed to cause mental health illnesses. A person’s environment and lifestyle are also considered to play a significant role in this.

The environment we live in and work in makes up a part of the greater context of our lives, which is now considered to be vital to treating any type of mental health condition. There are many types of environmental factors that affect your mental health. Here’s a run-through of some examples.

There are many examples of environmental stressors that have a significant influence on mental health. Over a period, these stressors can create a strain that is likely to develop into or contribute to a diagnosable mental disorder.⁴^,⁵ One such example is the death of a loved one. The sudden loss of a loved one can act as a trigger for various mental disorders, including panic disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and many phobias in people who have no previous history of mental illness.⁶

There is also evidence to show that there is also an association between the breakup of relationships and/or a divorce and the onset of mental illness.⁷ However, research has found that the risk of certain mental health problems happening due to breakups and/or divorce is higher in some people and not for others. For example, a 2014 study found that people who were already depressed before a divorce or separation experienced a much greater rate of depression after the divorce/separation. However, people who were not depressed before a divorce/separation did not experience any increase in the risk of developing a major depressive disorder after the divorce/separation.⁸

Changing schools, financial hardships, and loss of a job are some of the other environmental triggers that are commonly associated with mental health problems.⁹^,¹⁰^,¹¹

Here are some of the other environmental factors that have an influence on mental health.

Environmental Pollution: A recent study carried out by the University of Chicago has found that there is a strong association between exposure to environmental pollution and the prevalence of various neuropsychiatric disorders.¹² The study analyzed large population data sets from both Denmark and the United States and found that poor air quality was linked with an increased rate of major depression and bipolar disorder in both the countries. However, there is thus far insufficient proof to show that air pollution alone causes mental health illness. However, increasing neurobiological evidence points to nervous system pathology linked with many components of air pollution.¹³ Animal studies have shown that exposure to air pollutants like PM 2.5 and O3 can cause damage to the neurovascular unity. This causes a neuroinflammatory response in the body, which is believed to contribute to psychiatric symptoms.¹⁴^,¹⁵
Sleep Deprivation: There is a strong connection between sleep and mental health. Continuous sleep deprivation has an impact on your mental health and psychological state. Furthermore, people who already have some form of mental health issues are more prone to experience insomnia and other sleep disorders, which aggravates their condition. Sleep disruption has a direct effect on the levels of neurotransmitters and stress hormones in the body. This wreaks havoc inside the brain, impairing a person’s emotional and thinking regulation. This is also how insomnia amplifies the effects of an existing psychiatric disorder.¹⁶
Hazardous Working Condition: The term ‘hazardous’ does not only refer to physical danger where the work profile is concerned. It refers to any type of working condition that puts a significant amount of strain on the body and the mind. If you have a stressful work environment, your mental health may suffer, and you are at a higher risk of developing mental illness. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health problems caused by a hostile working environment. Depression and anxiety are also known to have a major economic impact, costing US$ 1 trillion in lost productivity to the global economy.¹⁷
Some of the risks to mental health in a hazardous work environment include:
- Poor or inadequate communication and management practices
- Insufficient health and safety policies
- Low level or lack of support for employees
- Limited participation in decision-making for own’s work
- Inflexible working hours
- Unclear tasks or organizations objectives leading to confusion
Smoking: New research published in November 2019 has shown that smoking may not only cause damage to your physical health, but it also increases the likelihood of developing various mental illnesses.¹⁸ The study found that smokers had an almost double risk of developing schizophrenia or depression as compared to people who don’t smoke. On the other hand, another study was done in May 2019 also found that people with schizophrenia and depression are three times more likely to smoke as compared to people who do not have any mental illness.¹⁹ People who decide to quit smoking get a real boost in their confidence levels and also feel like they have achieved something great, thus boosting their self-confidence. Quitting smoking also improves their hygiene and appearance, as the stained teeth and fingers, and the constant smell of smoke disappears. It has been observed that people who quit smoking may need to take a lower dose of their antipsychotic medication.
Extreme Weather Conditions: Extreme or bad weather can be a cause of immense stress and, over time, can wear down a person. If you are always cold, battling against snow, sweltering, struggling over ice, or drenched in sweat every time you step out of the house, your mental health experiences severe strain. This is especially true if this type of extreme weather endangers your life, your loved ones, or your property.

Some other factors that are also considered to be environmental triggers for mental health conditions are as follows:

Stigma: If a person faces stigma such as sexism, racism, homophobia, or other forms of prejudice in a day-to-day life, it is known to significantly increase their risk of developing mental illness.
Discord: Violence and strife in one’s community or home can be a huge cause of stress, depression, anxiety, and may even lead to conditions such as PTSD.
Abuse: Any form of abuse, be it emotional, physical, or sexual, including domestic violence or bullying at school or in the community, can lead to significant stress, thus leading to mental illness.
Poverty: Poverty can also affect your mental health in many ways. It restricts a person’s access to the type of nutritious diet that helps boost your mental health. It makes it more challenging to get good jobs and other opportunities to move ahead in life. All this causes stress, frustration, and a lack of self-confidence and self-worth. It also leads to the constant stress of working about where your next meal or rent money is going to come from. It often also forces people to venture into unhealthy or hazardous working environments.
Toxic relationships: Toxic relationships can lower a person’s self-esteem, cause anxiety, increase irritability, and may cause depression. Being in a toxic relationship may even give rise to conditions like PTSD.

Environmental factors may have a profound impact on your mental health, though there may also be many other factors involved. For example, if a person already has depression or an issue with substance abuse, then over time, it can lead to poor nutrition, poverty, and many other associated environmental troubles. This may lead to a worsening of their mental health condition.

Your mental health and well-being need a good balance of physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual health. Although mental illness does have a genetic component attached to it, a wide variety of triggers like economic, social, physical, and environmental influences can contribute to the development of a mental health disorder. All these factors have to be taken into consideration by a psychologist to effectively diagnose and treat different types of mental disorders.

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Influence Of Environmental Factors On Mental Health