![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/group-teenagers-using-mobile-phones-132939437.jpg\")
It\u2019s possible that emotional distress can spread even through online interaction. Drazen \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\nCan depression and anxiety be contagious?<\/p>\n
A new study from Finland suggests the answer is yes \u2014 but surprisingly, it\u2019s not just because having sad friends makes you feel sad, too.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible that emotional distress can spread even through online interaction. Drazen \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
Publishing in JAMA Psychiatry<\/a>, researchers looked at over 600,000 young people and found that if a teen\u2019s peers had a mental disorder diagnosis, they were also more likely to get one.<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, if a teen\u2019s friends had genetic predispositions \u2014 meaning their family members were diagnosed \u2014 that teen also had a higher chance of getting a diagnosis.<\/p>\n The association was strongest in high school.<\/p>\n \u201cFor teenagers or adolescents, peers are their most important and primary source of a sense of community and friendship\u201d \u2014 more than adults, and even more than their parents, Dr. Consuelo Cagande<\/a>, division director for child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital and Cohen Children\u2019s Medical Center, Northwell Health, told The Post<\/p>\n Emotional contagion is a well-known phenomenon. Both good and bad emotions are easily passed between people.<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed we evolved that way<\/a> to protect ourselves: We see someone else act fearful, so we get fearful too, and get ready to fight or flee. Some experts believe<\/a> that by unconsciously mimicking the behaviors of others, their emotions are mirrored as well.<\/p>\n Cagande theorizes that being around someone who\u2019s depressed, or even interacting with them online, can trigger their own genetic vulnerability to something like depression, whether the person knows of their family\u2019s history or not.<\/p>\n One factor is normalization. One teen might reveal they\u2019re struggling, and while their friend connects and supports them, it opens the door to examining if they\u2019re experiencing the same feelings themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cThey probably realize themselves, \u2018You know what, I should also start talking about my struggles and stressors and how I\u2019m not able to cope with it,\u2019\u201d Cagande said. \u201cThey might not be\u00a0the same degree as their friend, but at least they\u2019re\u00a0also realizing that dealing with stress as a teenager is not easy, but that they\u2019re also not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n Talking about their problems with others going through the same things is great, she says. But, it\u2019s also important to seek professional help and not on their own online \u2014 there\u2019s a lot of misinformation floating around, she warns.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you have a friend who is talking about depression or even suicide, it\u2019s\u00a0important to support that friend, but also let an adult know,\u201d she said. She also encouraged parents to check in on their children.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/worried-parent-young-mom-comforting-132939416.jpg\")
Cagande encourages parents to check in on their kids. fizkes \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n