479 C.S. Aneshensel et al. (eds.), Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health, Second Edition, Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research, DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-4276-5_23, © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013 Abbreviations AHEAD Study of Assets and Health Dynamics Among the Oldest Old APOE Apolipoprotein E CCH Community Crime, and Health DRD2 Dopamine receptor D2 HLM Hierarchical linear models 5-HTT 5-Hydroxytryptamine transporter Although studies of the social causes of mental health tend to emphasize social characteristics measured at the level of the individual (e.g., personal socioeconomic standing), research also suggests that mental health may vary according to social characteristics measured at the level of the neighborhood. More than 70 years ago, Faris and Dunham (1939) examined the spatial distribution of mental disorders in Chicago neighborhoods. Their analysis of data collected from over 34,000 psychiatric patients showed that “…high insanity rates appear to cluster in the deteriorated regions in and surrounding the center of the city…” (Faris & Dunham, 1939, p. 35). Using the urban ecological approach developed by Park (1915) and Burgess (1925), Faris and Dunham explained that the conditions of life in socially disorganized neighborhoods could favor the development of mental disorders by promoting a sense of extreme social isolation and by exposing residents to environments that are conducive to substance abuse. The pioneering work of Faris and Dunham (1939) and numerous subsequent studies show us that (a) neighborhoods are socially patterned, such that the most disadvantaged groups in society tend to live in disadvantaged neighborhoods, (b) mental health varies systematically across neighborhoods, Chapter 23 Neighborhood Context and Mental Health Terrence D. Hill and David Maimon T.D. Hill (*) Department of Sociology, Florida State University, 526 Bellamy Building, P.O. Box 3062270, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA e-mail: thill@fsu.edu D. Maimon Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA