2024-07-15 13:01:57
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show a sharp rise in depressive symptoms, up 60% on the previous three years, with one in six reporting moderate or severe symptoms of depression. The huge rise has been variously blamed on the increased mental stress caused by the Covid-19 lockdowns and the subsequent cost of living crisis.
But psychologists in Finland suggest that there could be another reason for the rising rates of depression: depression can be contagious, just like a cold or flu.
Infection outbreak
A team of scientists, led by Finnish Kristian Hakulainen, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Helsinki, tracked the health records of more than 700,000 children for 11 years, starting at age 16.
The analysis found that if one student in a class showed clear signs of depression, there was at least a 9% higher chance that his or her classmates would also develop it. And those who had more than one classmate with depression or anxiety had at least an 18% higher risk of being diagnosed with the condition over the 11-year study.
Even when the numbers were adjusted for factors that could have an impact, such as income level, the association between a depressed student and increased depression among his or her classmates remained. What’s more, while the strength of the effect declined over time, it persisted for up to 11 years after the students left school.
Double the number of depressive symptoms
The researchers found that if a roommate started meditating regularly during college, the roommate who had never meditated was more likely to pick up the habit. They also had more than twice as many depressive symptoms as the students who had never meditated.
The phenomenon of negative thinking and exaggeration
“Depression may actually spread through shared rumination – sharing the process of repeatedly engaging in negative, catastrophic thinking, without coming to a resolution,” explains Dr Jack Andrews, a developmental psychologist at the University of Oxford who researches the phenomenon of social contagion.
Social network map
“The researchers collected information about depressive symptoms, such as low mood and hopelessness — and asked people to name their close friends and family,” says Dr. Andrews. In 2012, the researchers mapped the city’s social network — tracking who spent time together — and then examined whether levels of depressive symptoms among friends were linked.
Depression or happiness of a close friend
In a 2010 article by psychiatrists from Harvard Medical School, they showed that Framingham residents were more likely to develop depressive symptoms if a close friend also had them. Scientists are still debating the mechanisms by which depression might be contagious.
low mood
Last year, Dr. Andrews and colleagues published the “prevalence inflation” theory, which suggests that increased discussion in society and on social media about mental health problems may lead more people to believe they have mental illnesses.
“The findings mean that more people may be able to identify their true symptoms and seek help,” says Dr Andrews. “But at the same time, it could mean that some people may be confusing normal, everyday low moods with depression – and thinking they are ill when they are not. So the hypothesis still needs to be tested.”
mirror cells
There are many other theories. In 2022, researchers in Brazil suggested that humans are designed to pick up on depressive feelings from each other through specialized brain cells called mirror neurons.
Smell depression
Other research suggests that humans may be able to catch depression from each other through their sense of smell. And scientists have already shown that other emotions, such as fear and disgust, may be contagious in the same way.
human pheromones
The idea that pheromones, the chemical signals that humans and animals release to communicate with each other, could spread depressive moods comes from preliminary research on the scientific website Research Square.
Researchers claim that humans have a pheromone, human progestogen-associated protein (hPAEP), which could be linked to antisocial behavior in some people. But it should be noted that the findings are preliminary research that has not been independently reviewed and vetted by experts.
Flexibility and positivity
But Professor Vivienne Hill, director of professional training in educational psychology at the Institute of Education, University of London, says that no matter how depressive feelings spread, a person should strive to build resilience against them.
“There seems to be a spillover effect in groups, where feelings can spread,” she says of the latest Finnish research. Professor Vivian would like to see mental health and coping strategies included in school curricula that help adults build resilience and deal with negative things in a positive way.
Last updated: July 11, 2024 – 16:16
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2024-07-15 13:01:57