General Psychiatry

Having Friends Helps Teens Avoid Depression

Having at least five mentally healthy friends led to a 50% reduction in teens in the risk of developing depression compared to peers with no friends.

A study of US high school students has found that having friends who suffer from depression doesn’t affect the mental health of others.

In fact, having friends appears to play a profound role in helping teenagers recover from depression or even avoid becoming depressed.

The findings come from a study of the way teenagers in a group of US high schools influenced each other’s mood. In the review, researchers from the University of Warwick created a mathematical model to establish if depression spreads from friend to friend.

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