mindsets and mental jumps

chabella

All Lady
Are mental issues contagious? We all know that misery loves company but sometimes I swear mental freakouts by people that stress far to much over tiny things seems to be contagious. It is just a mindset?
 

Lyra

Member
I think it can be. But I also think some people are just very sensitive to the emotions of those around them. Then there is always the "mob mentality", in which people are ready to jump on any sign of panic in others to start panicking themselves. It is hard to be around others like that if you are always the one keeping your cool!
 

Hyacinth

Member
Maybe it is to a certain extent. When you're surrounded by people who are overly anxious or negative, it can drive you mad, and you may find yourself responding to situations with the same level of drama.
 

WeepingWillow

New Member
In a way. Mental illnesses aren't necessarily "contagious," but if people around you are depressed, you can become depressed yourself for a period of time. Mental illnesses are a result of chemical imbalances in the brain that people are born with or a result of a traumatic experience in one's life.

I suffer from anxiety and depression, two things of which I was born with and then intensified after a traumatizing childhood. Mental illnesses are not contagious unless there is a history of mental illness in one's family. But yes, if people around you seem depressed or axious, for a short while, or even a long while, you could also feel depressed and anxious.
 

SoftRain

Member
Some people have more empathy than others. While this is typically seen as a good characteristic, it can be difficult for those people to be around those who have depression or anxiety issues. While I don't know that they have "true" depression, their feelings would certainly mimic it.
 

Aconite

Member
Well, you know what they say about the "herd mentality" right? Kind of like that book, Children of the Corn. That book freaked me out when we read that in class! A perfect demonstration of a herd mentality is a bunch of kids fighting. Very disturbing.
 
Last edited:

chabella

All Lady
I am not sure if it is empathy or something else. I know two people doing this from what I can tell are borderline hypochondriacs but the rest I am not sure about.
 
Top