Study reveals a link between air pollution and psychotic experiences of adolescents | Psychiatry

A new study, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, provides a potential explanation for why growing up in an urban setting is a risk factor for psychosis.

Psychotic experiences, such as hearing voices and intense paranoia, are less extreme forms of symptoms experienced by people with a psychotic disorder such as schizophrenia.

Although psychotic experiences are more common in adolescence than in adulthood, young people who report psychotic experiences are more likely to develop psychotic disorders, as well as various other mental health problems. and suicide attempts.

"Psychotic disorders are difficult to treat and weigh heavily on individuals, families, health systems and society at large," said Dr. Helen Fisher, lead author of the study, Institute of Psychiatry , psychology and neuroscience at King's College London, UK.

"By improving our understanding of what leads to psychotic experiences in adolescence, we can try to treat them quickly and prevent people from developing psychotic disorders and other serious mental health issues." . "

Dr. Fisher and his co-authors found that psychotic experiences were significantly more common in adolescents exposed to the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_X) and very small particles (PM2.5), even after taking into account known risk factors for psychosis.

NO₂ and no_X Together, they accounted for 60% of the link between urban living and adolescent psychotic experiences.

"We found that adolescent psychotic experiences were more common in urban areas," said Dr. Joanne Newbury, the study's first author, also from King's College London.

"Although the study can not show that pollutants cause psychotic experiences in adolescents, our results suggest that air pollution may be a contributing factor in the link between city life and the psychotic experiences. "

Scientists used data from the E-Risk study, which includes 2,232 children born in England and Wales.

At age 18, young people were subjected to private interviews to evaluate their psychotic experiences by answering questions such as "Do you hear voices that others can not hear?" And "Have you ever thought that you were watched, followed or spied on? "

Data on psychotic experiences were badociated with hourly estimates of air pollution at grid points 65 x 65 feet (20 x 20 m) across the UK.

By combining home addresses with two additional sites where young people spent a lot of time at 17, researchers were able to accurately model their exposure to air pollution within one year.

"Children and young people are the most vulnerable to the effects of air pollution on health because of the youth of the brain and the respiratory system," said co-author, Professor Frank Kelly, also of King's College London .

"Given that 70% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, the discovery of mechanisms that link the urban environment to psychosis should be an urgent health priority."

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Joanne B. Newbury et al. Association of exposure to air pollution with psychotic experiences in adolescence. JAMA Psychiatry, published online March 27, 2019; doi: 10.1001 / jamapsychiatry.2019.0056