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Recent research conducted by teams from the University of Helsinki, the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the University of Jyväskylä, and the University of Manchester explored the possibility of mental disorders spreading within social networks formed by school classes, based on extensive registry data.

The study, involving over 700,000 ninth-grade pupils from 860 Finnish schools, represents the largest and most comprehensive investigation to date into the transmission of mental disorders within social networks. The adolescents were monitored from the end of ninth grade for a median period of 11 years.

The findings indicated a notable association between the presence of classmates diagnosed with mental disorders and an increased risk of receiving a mental disorder diagnosis later in life.

"The observed link was the strongest during the first year of follow-up in the study. This was not explained by a number of factors related to parents, school and residential area. The link was most pronounced in the case of mood, anxiety and eating disorders," Associate Professor Christian Hakulinen of the University of Helsinki noted, according to Science Daily.

The study leveraged extensive Finnish registers to define social networks and track adolescents, providing unparalleled insights into the development and impact of mental health problems within social circles.

However, Hakulinen pointed out that the observed connection does not necessarily imply causation, and the study did not delve into the mechanisms underlying potential transmission between individuals.

"It may be possible, for instance, that the threshold for seeking help for mental health issues is lowered when there are one or more people in your social network who have already sought help for their problems. In fact, this kind of normalisation of diagnosis and treatment can be considered beneficial contagion of mental disorders," Hakulinen explained.

While acknowledging the global challenge posed by mental disorders, Hakulinen stressed the importance of preventive measures and early intervention, particularly given the documented increase in anxiety and mood symptoms among young people.

"When taking preventive measures, it's worthwhile considering that mental disorders can spread from one adolescent to another," Hakulinen said.

With roughly half of all adult mental disorder onsets occurring before age 18, the study showed the urgency of addressing mental health concerns in adolescence and considering the potential for contagion within social networks.