More than one in five adolescents will experience a mental health disorder, including depression and anxiety. This puts them at a higher risk for suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among adolescents. Now researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center are studying the impact of air pollution exposure on mental health disorders in children.
The scientists have received a $5.3 million from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to advance their research.
"People almost exclusively think about mental health as having genetic origins or being caused by one's personal circumstances such as stress, adversity, etc.," says Dr. Kim Cecil one of the lead investigators on the study. "The impact of factors from the environment, such as air pollution, are often not considered."
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the study are Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center lead investigators of the project Kim Cecil, Ph.D., director of radiology research for the Imaging Research Center; Patrick Ryan, Ph.D., Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology; and Kimberly Yolton, Ph.D., director of research in the Division of General and Community Pediatrics.
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