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Health See other Health Articles Title: Air pollution linked to psychotic episodes in teens Telegraph... Car pollution increases the rate of psychotic episodes and worsens mental illness, a groundbreaking study suggests. The first research ever to investigate the link between psychotic experiences and poor air quality found teenagers living in areas of high pollution suffered more than those in cleaner environments. The researchers, from King's College London, used data from 2,232 children born in England and Wales. They found that, overall, approximately a third of adolescents reported hearing or seeing something that wasn’t there, or feeling paranoid on at least one occasion between the ages of 12 and 18. Such episodes, while not necessarily serious in themselves, can be a gateway to graver mental conditions such as schizophrenia. The mental health data was compared against with hourly estimates of air pollution at their home addresses and two other locations where they spent a lot of time at the age of 17 such as a school. "This study found that psychotic experiences were significantly more common among teens exposed to higher levels of air pollution," lead author Dr Joanne Newbury said. "For example, teenagers exposed to the highest levels of nitrogen oxides had a 72 per cent greater odds for psychotic experiences compared to those with lower exposure.” Adolescents exposed to the highest level of nitrogen dioxide had 71 per cent greater odds of having a psychotic experience, the study also found. Meanwhile, those exposed to the highest levels of particulate matter, which can include carbon, liquids, metals and dust, had 45 per cent greater odds. Previous research has shown a link between urban living and adolescent psychotic experiences, but the researchers said this is the first evidence of an association with air pollution levels. Other studies have recently shown an association between dementia and air pollution levels, as well as strokes. Some theories suggest that small particles from air pollution can enter the brain and cause inflammation or cause chemicals to enter the body, the researchers said. The King's researchers said noise pollution may also play a role. The paper is published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Poster Comment: Another case for reducing traffic volumes by facilitating a ride-share program. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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