ENVIRONMENTAL TOXINS - A PSYCHIATRISTS VI EW

Increasing environmental load with industrial toxins has led to increa sing public awareness of the dangers of these substances. Both may res ult in impairment of mental health: Toxins may produce various stages of organic brain syndrome, fear of toxins may produce hypochondriac be liefs. Psychiatric assessment rarely allows a distinction which often turns out impossible altogether. In this article two types of exposure are used as examples to illustrate this situation: mercury exposure o f dental patients wearing amalgam fillings and chronic organic solvent exposure of spray painters.