Friendships, a new treatment against depression ? This is what British researchers suggest in a study published on August 19, 2015 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.
Depression is not contagious
Initially, their research aimed to test whether adolescent moods were contagious. Scientists analyzed 2,000 young Americans. Results: they found no signs of contagion. Having a depressed friend does not make you depressed.
They noticed, however, that with a balanced circle of friends, the risk of developing depression was lower and recovery was favored and faster.
350 million people worldwide suffer from depression
“At the societal level, if we encourage friendships among adolescents, we increase the chances that everyone will have enough balanced friends and benefit from a protective effect, notes Thomas House, co-author of the study.
This would reduce the prevalence of depression,” he continues. method “cheap and low risk”, according to him.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression.
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