Link Suggested for Depression and Living with Dampness and Mold

Several housing-related problems have been associated with poor mental health, and dampness and mold have been associated with physical problems. To examine whether dampness and mold are associated with depression, researchers used data from a World Health Organization cross-sectional survey involving 5882 adult respondents from 2982 households in eight European cities. Subjects were classified as “depressed” if they reported at least three of four depressive symptoms during the 2 previous weeks (sleep disturbance, decreased interest in activities, low self-esteem, and decreased appetite), a measure that correlates highly with DSM-IV criteria for major depression.

Data included subject- and interviewer-evaluated dampness and mold in the home…