Air pollution can heighten anxiety, trigger panic symptoms: Doctors

Amid continuing poor air quality in the national capital, doctors on Friday noted that air pollution can not only harm your lungs or lead to cardiac illness but can also heighten anxiety and trigger panic-like symptoms.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reported that Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 323 at 8 am on Friday morning, keeping the city in the “very poor” category, as residents woke up to a thick layer of haze.

“Pollution also affects mental health. When pollution increases, air quality deteriorates, leading to a lack of oxygen. The body does not receive the required amount of oxygen, which affects the brain,” Dr Nand Kumar, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS, told media.

“The brain needs oxygen to function properly, and a lack of oxygen impairs its function, leading to emotional disconnection. Therefore, air pollution also impacts mental health,” Kumar explained.

Air pollution no longer remains an environmental or seasonal concern but a direct and ongoing threat to human life, especially for children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with chronic heart and lung conditions.

This can be severely concerning among people already suffering from chronic psychiatric conditions.

It is because air pollution, especially the dense smog commonly seen during early winter, can significantly influence mental well-being.

“Individuals with pre-existing mood disorders or those sensitive to seasonal changes are particularly vulnerable. Poor air quality can trigger respiratory discomfort, abnormal breathing patterns, and a sense of breathlessness, all of which can heighten anxiety and panic-like symptoms,” Dr Astik Joshi, Child, adolescent, and forensic psychiatrist, at a city-based hospital, told media.