(THE GUARDIAN) — Teenagers who live in large cities could be at greater risk of having psychotic experiences, according to research examining the impact of urban life on mental health.
The finding ties in with previous studies and suggests that early interventions for young people in deprived urban neighbourhoods could be valuable.
“There is a growing interest in early interventions for psychosis and although it is important to highlight that the vast majority of these adolescents won’t go on to develop a psychotic disorder, early psychotic experiences are shown to be associated with a heightened risk for other mental health problems as well,” said Joanne Newbury, co-author of the research from King’s College London.
The research was published in Schizophrenia Bulletin by teams in the UK and US.