メディエイゴ

A groundbreaking(1) public health(2) study has found a connection between damp(3), moldy(4) homes and depression(5). The study, led by Brown University epidemiologist(6) Edmond Shenassa, is the largest investigation(7) of an association(8) between mold and mood and is the first such investigation conducted outside the United Kingdom.

Shenassa said the findings(9), published in the American Journal of Public Health, came as a complete surprise. In fact(10), after a few U.K. studies published in the last decade(11) had suggested a link, Shenassa and his skeptical(12) team set out to(13) debunk(14) the notion(15) that any link existed.

“We thought that once we statistically(16) accounted for(17) factors(18) that could clearly contribute to(19) depression -- things like employment status(20) and crowding(21) -- we would see any link vanish(22),” said Shenassa, the lead author(23) of the study and an associate professor(24) in the Department of Community Health(25) at Brown. “But the opposite was true. We found a solid(26) association between depression and living in a damp, moldy home.”

Shenassa noted the study, an analysis of data from nearly 6,000 European adults, does not prove that moldy homes cause depression. The study wasn’t designed to draw that direct conclusion(27). However, Shenassa’s team did find a connection, one likely driven by(28) two factors. One factor is a perceived(29) lack of control(30) over the housing environment(31). The other is mold-related(32) health problems such as wheezing(33), fatigue(34)and a cold or throat illness.

“Physical health(35), and perceptions(36) of control, are linked with(37) an elevated(38) risk for depression,” Shenassa said, “and that makes sense(39). If you are sick from mold, and feel you can’t get rid of(40) it, it may affect your mental health(41).”