Air Pollution Linked to Increased Mental Health Outpatient Visits

More pollution in the air could be linked to higher rates of mental health service utilization, researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found in a new study. The findings, which were recently published in the journal Environmental Research, stem from nearly six years of outpatient visits data collected at two major hospitals in Nanjing, China - a heavily polluted major city in China. After comparing the numbers with the amount of particulate matter found in the air every day, researchers discovered that visits were generally higher when the air quality was particularly poor. More research is needed to fully understand why - and how - air quality impacts the rate at which mental health services are used. According to YSPH Assistant Professor Sarah Lowe, Ph.D., who was the first author of the study, the findings underscore the need for further investments in mental health services when air pollution gets worse. These micron-sized specks of dust can rip through lung tissue and even enter the bloodstream, through which they can influence mental health. Still, this new study stands as one of the only articles dedicated to the link between particulate matter and the demand for specifically outpatient mental health services.