The Urban Environment and Mental Health

This paper addresses a complex topic. The first task is to sort out some definitional and conceptual concerns. Some of the differences that distinguish urban and rural mental health- differences that are often blurred, but that deserve some acknowledgement nevertheless, are briefly discussed. The major portion of this paper will be devoted to discussing psychiatrically underserved populations in urban communities, focusing on homeless mentally ill women. The basic thesis of this paper is that, in planning and delivering mental health services in cities, we must deal with a complex variety of interacting stressors that affect the people we wish to serve. It is important to note that city living can potentially offer both advantages and disadvantages to people who seek mental health services. Although the focus is mainly on some of the problems associated with city living, this is not to minimize the benefits of city life for people who need mental health services.- _.__ _._ _ _. _ _ Definitional and conceptual concerns This paper is based very largely on observations that have been made in the United States.