Mapping the exposome of mental health: exposome-wide association study of mental health outcomes among UK Biobank participants

Dissecting exposome linked to mental health outcomes can help identify potentially modifiabletargets to improve mental well-being. However, the multiplicity of exposures and the complexityof mental health phenotypes pose a major challenge. Here we conducted hypothesis-freeexposome-wide analyses to identify factors associated with 7 psychiatric diagnostic domains and19 symptom dimensions in 157,298 participants from the UK Biobank Mental Health Survey. Thecomprehensive mapping of 294 exposures revealed that several environmental factors,particularly in the domains of those previously well-studied—such as exposure to traumaticevents, childhood adversities, and cannabis use—were shared across mental health phenotypes,providing further support for transdiagnostic pathoetiology. Our findings also showed that distinctrelations might exist between particular exposures and specific mental health outcomes.Continued research into exposome through multimodal mechanistic studies guided by thetransdiagnostic mental health framework is required to better inform public health policies.