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Can depression and anxiety be contagious?
A new study from Finland suggests the answer is yes — but surprisingly, it’s not just because having sad friends makes you feel sad, too.
Publishing in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers looked at over 600,000 young people and found that if a teen’s peers had a mental disorder diagnosis, they were also more likely to get one.
What’s more, if a teen’s friends had genetic predispositions — meaning their family members were diagnosed — that teen also had a higher chance of getting a diagnosis.
The association was strongest in high school.
“For teenagers or adolescents, peers are their most important and primary source of a sense of community and friendship” — more than adults, and even more than their parents, Dr. Consuelo Cagande, division director for child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital and Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Northwell Health, told The Post
Emotional contagion is a well-known phenomenon. Both good and bad emotions are easily passed between people.
It’s believed we evolved that way to protect ourselves: We see someone else act fearful, so we get fearful too, and get ready to fight or flee. Some experts believe that by unconsciously mimicking the behaviors of others, their emotions are mirrored as well.
Cagande theorizes that being around someone who’s depressed, or even interacting with them online, can trigger their own genetic vulnerability to something like depression, whether the person knows of their family’s history or not.
One factor is normalization. One teen might reveal they’re struggling, and while their friend connects and supports them, it opens the door to examining if they’re experiencing the same feelings themselves.
“They probably realize themselves, ‘You know what, I should also start talking about my struggles and stressors and how I’m not able to cope with it,’” Cagande said. “They might not be the same degree as their friend, but at least they’re also realizing that dealing with stress as a teenager is not easy, but that they’re also not alone.”
Talking about their problems with others going through the same things is great, she says. But, it’s also important to seek professional help and not on their own online — there’s a lot of misinformation floating around, she warns.
“If you have a friend who is talking about depression or even suicide, it’s important to support that friend, but also let an adult know,” she said. She also encouraged parents to check in on their children.
Even if there is an indication mental health issues can “spread,” it’s not a reason to stop interacting with others. Isolation can trigger depression and keep people in depressive cycles.
The study also found the strongest associations in school-based friend groups. Cagande says that makes sense — it’s where they spend most of their time and develop relationships.
“It’s also where a lot of stressors are happening in terms of school stressors, pressure to do well in school, or there might be bullying or anxiety that might be heightened more in schools,” she said.
That’s why the study indicates that interventions like school-based mental health programs will be critical to make a difference in kids’ lives.
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