Creator resource: Healthy air, healthy mind

The Center for Health Communication works to create toolkits and briefings that help content creators spread evidence-based health information on social media. The information provided is meant to be educational and is not a substitute for medical advice. This page was last updated on 11/21/24.

Key statistics

• 1 in 8 people worldwide live with a mental health disorder
• 99% of people in the world breathe unsafe air
• 1 in 3 Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of air pollution
• 72% of the population is of color in the U.S. counties with the worst air pollution

Understand the research

Air pollution takes a mental toll

• Research suggests that exposure to air pollution can have a profound and enduring negative effect on mental health.
• Several studies indicate that even short-term exposure to common air pollutants can be associated with an increased risk of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.
• Recent studies have discovered a link between exposure to air pollution and an increased risk of suicide.

Kids are particularly vulnerable

• Children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution on mental health because their brains are still developing.
• Poor air quality is linked to an elevated risk of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorder, major depression, affective disorders, and suicide in children and adolescents.
• Children exposed to elevated concentrations of indoor air pollution at home are at increased risk of developing ADHD symptoms and other behavioral problems.

Indoor air quality is critical

• Outdoor air pollution penetrates indoors, and, because we spend up to 90% of our lives indoors, the majority of outdoor air pollution you breathe happens indoors!
• Because indoor spaces largely determine our overall exposure to common air pollutants, improving indoor air quality is critical to improving our mental health.

Monitor your indoor and local air quality

• Be aware of the air quality in your area by regularly checking air quality indexes.
• If the outdoor air is polluted, consider limiting time outdoors and keeping windows closed.
• Install an air quality monitor in your home to understand how everyday activities impact the air you breathe.

Take these practical steps to improve your air quality

• Reduce your use of products with fragrances.
• Reduce candle and incense use, especially indoors.
• Turn on the range hood or open a window while cooking.
• Regularly dust surfaces and vacuum floors.
• Upgrade filters to a MERV13 or better.

Support clean air initiatives

• Support and advocate for policies and practices that reduce air pollution in your communities.

Prioritize your mental health

• Find resources to improve your mental wellbeing at Project Healthy Minds.
• If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health symptoms, seek professional help or dial 988 to access a crisis lifeline.

Links to share

• Monitor your local air quality | airnow.gov
• Make your own air cleaner | schools.for.health.org/diy-air-cleaners
• Get the right portable air cleaner | forhealth.org/tools/portable-air-cleaner-calculator
• Find resources to improve your mental health | projecthealthyminds.com/partnerships/harvard

Recommended hashtags 

#HealthyAirHealthyMind #HealthyBuildings #CleanAirMatters #BreatheWell #WorldMentalHealthDay

Download the toolkit

Watch the briefing

In this briefing, Joe Allen, Associate Professor of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public, and Sasha Hamdani, Psychiatrist and creator @thepsychdoctormd, discussed the link between mental health and air quality.