Hi and welcome to another episode of the savvy psychologist I'm your host

Dr. Ellen Hendrickson and every week I'll help you meet life's challenges with evidence-based research, a

sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

So this week on the podcast, by request from an anonymous listener who wonders if her depressed partner might be bringing

her down, we'll investigate whether or not depression is contagious, and the answer might surprise

you.

So here we go. spoiler alert. The short answer to the question is yes.

Depression is not called the common cold of mental illness for nothing. But like most things, it's complicated.

Depression is contagious, but it's not as if you get infected when your depressed friend

cries on your

history history,

history, stress and more.

Now, it's been known for almost a decade that both healthy and unhealthy behaviors are contagious.

If your friends quit smoking or become obese, you're more likely to do so too.

And even suicide can come in clusters. Now,

depression comes with its own set of unhealthy behaviors. Pessimistic talk,

criticizing self and others, cancelling social plans, getting into unhealthy sleeping

and eating patterns, and generally being irritable or withdrawn.

And it turns out that these behaviors and the negative beliefs that drive them can be communicated

from person to person.

So roommates of depressed college students, children of depressed parents, and yes, with the listener who requested

this episode, spouses of depressed partners often show comparable depressive symptoms.

...