Heyo
Veteran Member
I think it isn't the environment itself but what it is doing to your psyche. Some people don't care much about the conditions of their home, or at least the "filth threshold" is different in different people. Some people are very self confident and living in a "bad part" of town doesn't do much to them, other will get anxiety issues in a high crime neighbourhood.We helped some friends move yesterday. While I didn't see the bulk of it, I guess when my husband and son walked into their apartment, they about broke into panic attacks. The trash was piled up past a foot high in most places. It was just good old fashioned filth.
Neither friend has good mental health status. Its possible(if not probable) that their mental health prevents them from keeping the place up. However, my husband brought up the idea that perhaps living in that kind of mess causes mental health problems. Somewhat of a case of the chicken and the egg, I suppose. However, I suspect there's some truth to it.
The question I ask then, is how much does one's environment impact their mental health? I'm talking strictly the physical environment, not the people in it. Does having a well cared for house make a difference? Does it go beyond being neat and clean and into decor or how well maintained it is(such as keeping up on painting/cosmetic repairs). How about the greater environment as a whole? Can a mountain lover be happy in the fields, or a beach bum content in a desert?
There's no way to have definitive proof here, just curious to hear what others think.
There are some factors that are objectively bad for your mental health, though. Lack of sun light, lack of exercise and constant stress are all known to lead to higher risk of depression. Some of that can be countered with nutritional supplements or medication but removing the cause is always better than curing the symptoms.