A relationship between environmental degradation and mental health in rural Western Australia.

Australia is currently experiencing a process of escalating ecosystem degradation. This landscape degradation is associated with many outcomes that may directly or indirectly impact on human health. This study used a Bayesian spatial method to examine the effects of environmental degradation (measured as dryland salinity) on the mental health of the resident rural population. An association was detected between dryland salinity and depression, indicating that environmental processes may be driving the degree of psychological ill-health in these populations.