ON THE ISSUE OF HOUSING CONDITIONS AND THEIR IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Introduction. Due to the fact that almost all residents live in residential premises on a certain area, as well as the fact that the impact of living space on the mental health of the population remains understudied, it seems important to conduct a survey on this topic. Target. To study the impact of residents' provision with living space on their mental health, as well as on individual nosological forms of mental disorders and the severity of the course of mental illness, followed by the development of preventive measures. Materials and methods. On a voluntary basis, a survey of 1038 adult residents (510 mentally ill and 528 healthy people) was completed. The questionnaire consisted of several sections and included 67 questions, one of which was a question characterizing the average living space provision per family member. All individuals with mental illness, depending on the main diagnosis, type of registration and disability group presence, answered the survey questions. Results. The impact of the average provision with the living space on the mental health of the population has been established. It has been proven that insufficient housing provision is one of the provoking (trigger) factors in the onset or development of exacerbations of mental and behavioral disorders, in particular schizophrenia, schizoaffective and schizotypal disorders, and can also affect behavioral disorders in mental retardation. The unfavorable impact of low residential space on the severity of mental illness was revealed in the study of groups of registration of mentally ill people and a disability group presence. Conclusing. According to the results of the study, preventive measures are recommended.