Mental health and the environment – evolutionary perspectives

This paper provides an overview of key concepts in evolutionary psychiatry, summarising major evolutionary explanations for mental illness and highlighting the potential of these perspectives to enhance assessment, diagnosis, explanation to the patient, treatment and prevention strategies. Expanding beyond conventional evolutionary approaches, we explore environmental influences on mental health and illness, emphasising the significant areas of convergence between evolutionary and environmental viewpoints. We then propose an integrated framework that combines insights from both perspectives, offering general principles for improving mental health outcomes at both individual and population levels. The discussion includes implications for general practice, public health and broader societal considerations, with particular reference to concepts such as biophilia and the emerging role of ‘green care’ in psychiatric practice.