The mental health of your high school friends may be linked to your own mental health

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-02 01:00

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The mental health diagnosis of your high school friends may impact your likelihood of developing a mental health disorder, according to research from Finland. The study found that people who had high school peers with a genetic predisposition for mental health disorders, or a diagnosis of a mental health disorder, were at an increased risk of being diagnosed with a mental health disorder themselves. The authors say having peers with diagnosed depression or anxiety may make teens more aware of symptoms, reduce stigma and encourage them to seek treatment.

News release

From: JAMA

Adolescent Peers’ Diagnoses and Genetic Predispositions and Subsequent Risk of Mental Disorders

About The Study: The findings of this cohort study suggest that peer environments, particularly in upper secondary school settings, are associated with mental health trajectories. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these findings.

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Journal/
conference: JAMA Psychiatry

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Helsinki, Finland

Funder: This work was funded in part by the European Union (ERC, MENTALNET, 101040247), and the Research Council of Finland (354237 to Dr Hakulinen; 339390 to Dr Elovainio; 370659 to Dr Komulainen), the National Institute of Health and Social Care Research (NIHR; DrWebb) Greater Manchester Patient Safety Research Collaboration (grant 204295) and by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (grant 203308).

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