Air Pollution and Mental Health in India: A Neglected Public Health Crisis

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Published

2026-06-26

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54169/ijocp.v6i01.02

Keywords:

Air pollution, Mental health

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Issue

Vol. 6 No. 01 (2026): Indian Journal of Clinical Psychiatry

Section

EDITORIAL

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Copyright (c) 2026 Shivangini Singh, Rashmi Shukla

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Authors

  • Shivangini Singh Department of Geriatric Mental Health, KGMU, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.
  • Rashmi Shukla Department of Psychiatry, KGMU, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract

Air pollution is among the leading risk factors for mortality globally, comparable to tobacco use and an unhealthy diet. The harmful effects of air pollution on our respiratory and circulatory systems are well established, but more often, we do not focus on the mental health impact of air pollution, particularly in low and middle-income countries such as India. A substantial number of premature deaths, approximately 4 million, are attributed to air pollution as recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Majority states across India fall below the universal advisory air pollution cutoffs given by both the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and WHO, while the northern states along the Indo-Gangetic Basin region take the worst hit, with the highest air-quality index (AQI) rating across the world, especially during winters.

How to Cite

Singh, S., & Shukla, R. (2026). Air Pollution and Mental Health in India: A Neglected Public Health Crisis. Indian Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 6(01), 5–7. https://doi.org/10.54169/ijocp.v6i01.02

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