Photo: telegraph.co.uk
There are a number of contagious illnesses out there. Conditions and sicknesses that can spread from one person to another, eventually affecting numerous people within a relatively short span of time. These are usually things like colds and the flu, along with more serious conditions like the bubonic plague. These contagions can range from mildly annoying to extremely dangerous, capable of putting large segments of a population to a grinding halt. However, it is generally assumed that mood disorders and mental illnesses are not communicable diseases - at least, not physically. Sure, there is the long-running joke of "catching someone else's crazy," but there has never been any solid scientific evidence to support that someone with depression can give depression to other people. At least, not in theory.
An interesting study has found that one particular facet of depression, the risk of suicide, is worth noting. Aside from the obvious reasons, it appears that a suicide in a given circle or group can cause an "outbreak" of suicides in the said environment. The risk of suicide is known to increase when a family member commits the act, but the study has found out something that was previously only assumed: that suicide in a workplace can increase the risks of more surviving co-workers to do the same. This effect, which seems to be contagious, was found to be statistically significant in male workers and has a larger rate of mortality than suicide in the family. This is believed to be the case because workplace suicide has a larger population that may become affected by the problem. This is alarming, since the worsening economy has prompted more than a few employees to suicide because of the conditions.
Research has shown that one's surroundings can have an effect on how a person makes decisions. A wide range of behaviors, feelings, and attitudes are picked up and adapted from social networks that a person is a part of, such that a close-knit group is likely to share several traits or mannerisms in common. This includes various positive and negative behaviors, and has been observed many times by medical science. However, nobody has taken the time to study if something as drastic as suicide could be passed on in this manner. Depression has been known to spread like this in some cases, though only episodes of it. The full-blown medical condition is not known to spread in this manner, and Prozac prescriptions in an office setting don't immediately spike up whenever one of them becomes clinically depressed.
A study has tied the potential of this problem with other factors leading to suicide, noting the increase in suicides in a given family or workplace after someone has already done so. It was found to be a major factor, though not potent enough to cause some sort of domino effect. It was also found to be capable of increasing the risk of depression and other mood disorders in those who are left behind by the act.
Mark Black is a part-time writer and a part-time researcher. He is currently self-studying various Far Eastern languages and is an avid fiction reader. He is currently writing articles oriented towards consumers of pharmaceutical products. internetpharmacy is a reputable online drug store and offers an array of health products and medicare prescription drugs. Online Drugstore Pharmacy Buy Soma Buy Tramadol Buy Prozac Buy Fioricet
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