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Psyche Healthy circle of friends often protects against depression
According to a new study, five healthy friends are enough for adolescents to reduce the risk of depression significantly. British researchers came to this conclusion using mathematical models. Health experts, however, are skeptical.
Risk of depression decreases due to healthy friends
The more mentally healthy friends have, the lower their risk of developing depression. Researchers from the UK University of Warwick came to this conclusion with the help of computer models, reports the news agency dpa. And depressives could better recover in the company of healthy friends, as the scientists reported to the mathematician Edward Hill in their study presented in the "Proceedings B" of the British Royal Society.
Healthy friends can significantly reduce the risk of depression. (Image: BillionPhotos.com/fotolia.com) Good mood can be contagious
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 350 million people worldwide suffer from depression. In this country, more and more young people have to go for treatment for depression. Often the disease is afflicted with a social stigma. Among other things, the scientists in Great Britain have examined the likelihood with which the mental illness spreads among the circle of friends. They said their findings indicate that depression does not spread - at least not as long as affected adolescents have enough healthy friends. In addition, the good mood of friends can save a crash. According to the study so far was the reverse: Thus, a depression spread like a contagious disease, a healthy state of mind but not.
Experts are skeptical
However, these conclusions are skeptical in psychiatric practice. "The study is not really clinically relevant, because it describes something we already know: Stable children have good social contacts and become less depressed," said the chairman of the federal working group of senior clinicians for child and adolescent psychiatry, psychosomatics and psychotherapy, Martin Young. In addition, the study lacks a measure of the severity of the depression. "I think it is unlikely that seriously depressed children can be infected with positive social contacts, so to speak," said Jung. Severely depressed children would break off contact with healthy friends and vice versa. According to health experts, a typical symptom of depression is that people tend to turn their backs on others. This has recently been pointed out by paediatricians who expressed concern about mentally disturbed children.
Depressed people break off contacts
If the contacts are aborted, it is part of the clinical work to revive them. "Positive contacts are certainly a protective factor, but that would be a cure possible, the study has not been proven," said Jung. Sibylle Winter from the Charité Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy of Childhood and Adolescence has according to the dpa message also in doubt. "From clinical practice, I can not understand that depressive mood should not spread. That should at least be checked again. "In circles of friends would also be more like-minded. The researchers from England came before such a reproach, however. "We made sure that our method was not influenced by homophily - the tendency to make friends with similar people," Hill said in a statement. The team of scientists justifies its finding with psychological mechanisms. For example, depressives tend to withdraw from their social environment and therefore exert less influence on others than healthy people. However, those who want to recover from depression or stay healthy need contact with non-depressives.
Data examined with mathematical models
For their study, the team used data from 3,084 adolescents aged 12 to 18 interviewed in the United States in 1994 and 1995. The participants in the study "Add Health" gave information about sadness and lack of interest, appetite, sleep or the feeling of worthlessness. The British researchers have re-examined this information using mathematical models. It is said that similar methods are being used to study the spread of infectious diseases. The calculations showed that those who have at least five healthy friends are twice as likely as those without healthy friends to not get depressed within six to twelve months. And depressed adolescents recover twice as often when they have ten instead of three healthy friends. The mathematician Thomas House from the University of Manchester, who was part of the team around Hill, said the number of cases of depression among young people could be lowered by promoting friendships through youth clubs, for example. This also increases the likelihood of having enough healthy friends. (Ad)