Mental health and the built environment

This book explores the relationship between built environment and the occurence of mental ill-health. In a coherent and original style, the book begins by providing a broad overview of what is known about the causes of mental ill-health, and discusses the issues that arise when attempting to identify the impact of the environment on mental health. The author examines the role of the environment as a source of stress; the effects that the environment can have on the quality of relationships between people; and the relationship between symbolic aspects of the environment, the planning process and mental health. The book uses new analyses and detailed studies drawn from the UK and US. Mental Health and the Built Environment will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses and modules on Environmental psychology and will be very relevant to social, abnormal and health psychology students. The book provides explanations of terms in a very clear style throughout, and will therefore also be of interest to mental health professionals and planning and design students who are new to this field.