Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Are Mental Disorders transmissible?
943 Are Mental Illnesses Transmissible
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog
A new study suggests that some mental illnesses may be transmissible among adolescents.
The study showed that teens who have classmates with a mental disorder face a greater risk for developing one as they age. This includes substance abuse, eating, anxiety, mood, and emotional disorders.
Researchers followed seven hundred thousand teen boys and girls in Finland starting at the end of ninth grade for thirteen years.
At the start of the study, just over forty thousand had been diagnosed with a mental disorder. The goal was to see if being exposed to one or more classmates with a mental disorder in the 9th grade resulted in someone developing a mental disorder as the teenager aged.
During the study period, nearly one hundred seventy thousand students experienced a mental disorder. In the first year, that risk was nine percent higher if the student knew more than one classmate with a disorder.
The risk doubled for students who knew more than one classmate with a disorder. The risk remained after adjusting for other variables that could have impacted their mental health.
They found a clear connection between an increasing risk for the disorders and the number of people they knew with it. This suggests a transmission effect, but scientists need to do more studies to understand why.
One suggestion is that once a classmate is diagnosed, other students feel comfortable reporting their feelings. This may get young people treatment early when help can make a big difference.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or subscribe to our podcast. Sign up for expanded print episodes at www.illuminascicom.com
