A study published on August 28 by Kate Dunn-Campbell of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and her colleagues found that “unhealthy commodities” such as tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, social media, and fossil fuels, as well as the effects of fossil fuel consumption such as climate change and air pollution, are associated with depression, suicide, and self-harm.
Currently, approximately one in eight people worldwide are living with a mental illness. These illnesses, including depression, suicide, anxiety, and other diseases and disorders, have many underlying causes. Some of those causes may be related to commercial determinants of health, that is, the impact of commercial activities and products on health and equity. Commercial determinants of health can be specifically unhealthy, such as alcohol and tobacco consumption, unhealthy foods, and fossil fuel use. To further understand how these unhealthy products affect mental health, the study authors conducted a comprehensive synthesis of 65 review studies that investigated the relationship between six specific products: tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed foods, gambling, social media, and fossil fuels. The authors also included studies that explored the impact of fossil fuel use, such as climate change and air pollution, on mental health.
The comprehensive review found evidence of an association between depression and alcohol, tobacco, gambling, social media, ultra-processed foods, and air pollution. Alcohol, tobacco, gambling, social media, climate change, and air pollution were associated with suicide, and social media was also associated with self-harm. Climate change and air pollution were also associated with anxiety. The review brought together a range of methodologies and measures and was not able to pinpoint the underlying causes of poor mental health. However, the results indicate that researchers need to consider unhealthy products when trying to understand and improve mental health.
The authors add: “Our study highlights that, despite significant gaps in our understanding of the impact of wider commercial practices, there is already compelling evidence that unhealthy products have negative effects on mental health.”
sauce:
Journal References:
Dun-Campbel, K., et al. (2024) Commercial determinants of mental illness: a comprehensive review. PLOS Global Public Health. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0003605.
