Urban Mental Health 

Urban living is on the rise. Urban environments, like Amsterdam, are characterized by features that make city life not only attractive and exciting, but also more challenging and stressful than rural environments, which negatively impacts mental health.

The interdisciplinary UvA consortium, Urban Mental Health, will continue its research into better understanding the complexities behind mental health problems in an urban context with the aim to develop and evaluate innovative interventions to promote urban mental health. As you might have heard the interdisciplinary research priority of the UvA, Urban Mental Health, has been granted continuation for the second 5 years period (2024-2028).

Urban Mental Health studies interacting factors

We are eager to continue the research into the diverse mechanisms underlying mental health in urban settings (ranging from poverty to personality to safety to environmental noise), as well as develop and evaluate innovative interventions at different levels from the individual, to groups (such as neighborhoods and schools) to society. While up to now the impact of these factors was mainly studied in isolation, in real life, they often interact in complex ways. Our research will continue to focus on the three most common mental disorders: addiction, anxiety, and depression and related mental health problems. These disorders constitute three of the five most costly mental health and brain disorders for society, ranging from costs of burn-out, depression, anxiety, addiction to crime and suicide. The focus in the coming five years will be on interventions, both to test putative mechanisms and as a means to improve the mental health of citizens, both in the Netherlands and in other urban areas in high income countries as well as low and middle income countries.

Uniting three faculties

Urban Mental Health will continue its efforts with the support and coordination by the UvA faculties of Medicine (Amsterdam UMC), Social and Behavioral Sciences (FMG) and Science (FNWI) together with the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS). Directors are Claudi Bockting (Amsterdam UMC, AMC) and Reinout Wiers (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences), whilst financially embedded in FNWI (Paul Lucassen).

Upcoming Events?

We have a few noteworthy events we would love for you to know about. Learn more and register with the links provided below. For more information or questions, feel free to contact our team (assistent.umh@amsterdamumc.nl).

For more information or questions, feel free to contact our Coordinator, Ludo Westerveld (l.w.westerveld@amsterdamumc.nl)  or our Assistant, Lisa Esquibel (assistent.umh@amsterdamumc.nl)