I received an email the other day from a client with bad news informing me that his wife has breast cancer.  He told me that she had suffered from depression ever since reluctantly moving into a property that had a severe water damage problem and that had been concealed by the real estate agent.  This got me thinking about all the research talking about mould exposure and mood disorders like anxiety and depression and even IQ.

In this week’s Livestream, I’m going to review 6 key areas where mental health problems can occur due to mould and water damage:

1. Families that know about mould and water damage

2. Disaster recovery workers 

3. The elderly

4. Children and pre-adolescents

5. The immune system.  What’s going on inside your body?

6. Tenancy

Is depression the hidden epidemic often not spoken about when discussing building-specific factors surrounding mould and adverse indoor air quality from aeroallergens and other microbes?

REFERENCES:

Literature review of current research on health effects and accepted guidelines for the management of indoor mould and water damage in the built environment. (2013). ACNEM Journal. 32(3): 10 - 16.

Neuropsychological performance of patients following mold exposure. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12584073/

The neurological significance of abnormal natural killer cell activity in chronic toxigenic mold exposures. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14625399/

Indoor mold exposure associated with neurobehavioral and pulmonary impairment: a preliminary report. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15143851/

Psychological, neuropsychological, and electrocortical effects of mixed mold exposure. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15259424/

Cognitive impairment associated with toxigenic fungal exposure: a replication and extension of previous findings. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15477176/

Interventions to improve children's health by improving the housing environment. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15742671/

Dampness and mold in the home and depression: an examination of mold-related illness and perceived control of one's home as possible depression pathways. - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17761567/

Quality of life of patients with asthma related to damp and moldy work environments. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407188/

Indoor factors and behavioural problems in children: the GINIplus and LISAplus birth cohort studies. - PubMed - NCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22487276/

Disaster-related exposures and health effects among US Coast Guard responders to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: a cross-sectional study. - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25099408/

The Relationship of Built Environment to Health-Related Behaviors and Health Outcomes in Elderly Community Residents in a Middle Income Country. - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26425497/

The built environment and mental health. - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14709704/

Housing dampness and health amongst British Bengalis in East London. - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2305276/

Dampness and mold in the home and depression: an examination of mold-related illness and perceived control of one's home as possible depression pathw... - PubMed - NCBIhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17761567/

The validity of the environmental neurotoxic effects of
toxigenic molds and mycotoxins (2007). https://print.ispub.com/api/0/ispub-article/11373

Seasonality of births in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: a review of the literature. (1997