Verified by Bad Breakups Cause Depression
Losses that involve lower self-esteem are more likely to lead to depression than a loss such as a death of a loved one.
By Willow Lawson published November 1, 2003 - last reviewed on June 9, 2016
Stressful events that involve both grief and humiliation, such as
messy romantic breakups, are linked to a higher risk of major depression
than "merely" painful events, such as the death of a loved
one, according to a study.
Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond,
Virginia, interviewed some 7,000 male and female twins as part of the university's Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry. The
subjects ranged in age from 20 to 60 years old.
Scientists analyzed subjects' stressful life events to
determine which were linked to episodes of depression and anxiety.
Researchers found losses that involved lower self-esteem were twice
as likely to trigger depression as ones that involved loss alone. This
was particularly true of breakups that were initiated by the other
partner or that involved infidelity or violence.
"The most toxic combination was loss and humiliation that in
some way directly devalued the individual," says Kenneth S.
Kendler, professor of psychiatry and lead author of the study.
The study was published in the
Archives of General Psychiatry.
