TY  - JOUR
A1  - Gruebner, Oliver
A1  - Rapp, Michael Armin
A1  - Adli, Mazda
A1  - Kluge, Ulrike
A1  - Galea, Sandro
A1  - Heinz, Andreas
T1  - Cities and Mental Health
JF  - Deutsches Ärzteblatt international : a weekly online journal of clinical medicine and public health
N2  - Background: More than half of the global population currently lives in cities, with an increasing trend for further urbanization. Living in cities is associated with increased population density, traffic noise and pollution, but also with better access to health care and other commodities. Methods: This review is based on a selective literature search, providing an overview of the risk factors for mental illness in urban centers. Results: Studies have shown that the risk for serious mental illness is generally higher in cities compared to rural areas. Epidemiological studies have associated growing up and living in cities with a considerably higher risk for schizophrenia. However, correlation is not causation and living in poverty can both contribute to and result from impairments associated with poor mental health. Social isolation and discrimination as well as poverty in the neighborhood contribute to the mental health burden while little is known about specific inter actions between such factors and the built environment. Conclusion: Further insights on the interaction between spatial heterogeneity of neighborhood resources and socio-ecological factors is warranted and requires interdisciplinary research.
Y1  - 2017
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3238/arztebl.2017.0121
SN  - 1866-0452
VL  - 114
IS  - 8
SP  - 121
EP  - 127
PB  - Dt. Ärzte-Verl.
CY  - Cologne
ER  -