Umweltverschmutzung schürt direkt eine globale Krise der psychischen Gesundheit: Die versteckten Kosten der beschleunigten Urbanisierung und des Klimawandels

A comprehensive synthesis of current European environmental and public health data reveals that physical pollutants are direct, biological drivers of psychiatric vulnerability.

The effects of air pollution on mental health are profound, linking particulate exposure to neuroinflammation, depression, and cognitive decline.

Simultaneously, noise pollution elevates stress hormones and suicide risk. Chemical toxicants alter early neurodevelopment, while climate change drives acute trauma and widespread eco-anxiety.

With an eye to the future, researchers have emphasized the need to fully embrace the „One Health“ approach put forth by the World Health Organization – a unified approach which seeks to promote policies that explicitly recognize the inescapable interconnectedness between human, animal, and environmental wellbeing – to avoid a catastrophic failure of global psychiatric care.