Are Mental Diseases Transmissible

A new study suggests that some mental illnesses may be transmissible among adolescents. The study showed that teens who have classmates with a mental disorder face a greater risk for developing one as they age. This includes substance abuse, eating, anxiety, mood, and emotional disorders.   

Researchers followed 700,000 teen boys and girls in Finland starting at the end of 9th grade for 13 years.  At the start of the study, just more than 40,000 had been diagnosed with a mental disorder. The goal was to see if being exposed to one or more classmates with a mental disorder in the 9th grade resulted in someone developing a mental disorder as the teenager aged.   

During the study period, nearly 170,000 students experienced a mental disorder. In the first year, that risk was 9 percent higher if the student knew more than one classmate with a disorder. The risk doubled for students who knew more than one classmate with a disorder. The risk remained after adjusting for other variables that could have impacted their mental health.   

They found a clear connection between an increasing risk for the disorders and the number of people they knew with it. This suggests a transmission effect, but scientists need to do more studies to understand why. One suggestion is that once a classmate is diagnosed, other students feel comfortable reporting their feelings. This may get young people treatment early when help can make a big difference.