City living can make you mentally ill, study shows

City Living Linked to Mental Problems

City living can trigger brain changes in the brain that can later lead to mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, a German study published in the journal Nature revealed Thursday.

Researchers said that the stress in city living can also increase the likelihood of developing mood and anxiety disorders and that those who grew up in the city are at most risk.

During the study, a section of the brain called the amygdala was found to be more active among people from cities with more than 100,000 people compared to those who lived in towns with populations of more than 10,000.

Also, the longer the years of city living, the higher the rate of amygdala activity.

Senior study author Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg of the Central Institute of Mental Health (Mannheim, Germany) said that the study does not fully explain why city living can boost brain activity but it suggests that stress in dealing with people and the activities associated with urban life have much to do with it.

The researchers suggest that the earlier the exposure to city living, the greater the stress accumulated and the higher the risk of mental problems. Animal studies have shown that early exposure to a stressful environment may have lasting adverse effects and that may be true to humans as well.

Under a scanner, a study participant was told to solve math problems which were harder than expected. The participant ended up answering most of the questions wrong and was purposely criticized for the mistakes.

Those who were criticized the most exhibited the most brain changes regardless of whether they lived in cities or towns, suggesting that criticism itself and not geographic residence may be a stronger factor. The city living-mental illness link is thus preliminary at best, the researchers admitted.

Posted by George Daniels on Thursday June 23 2011, 9:22 PM EST. Ref: AP. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0