People with mental disorders often choose partners with similar problems, and this pattern is reinforced from generation to generation, according to a large international study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour .
Researchers analyzed data on more than 14.8 million people in Taiwan, Denmark, and Sweden. Participants were divided into groups based on their birth decade, from the 1930s to the 1990s. The results showed that the likelihood of couples with the same mental health problems increases significantly over time.
This phenomenon has important consequences for future generations, as children of such couples are at increased risk of inheriting a predisposition to similar disorders, which may affect their mental health in the future.
Scientists have previously recorded a similar trend in Scandinavian countries, but this study is the first to show that it is also characteristic of other parts of the world.
The authors of the work emphasize that the results are of great importance for medicine, psychology, and public policy, as they emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and support for families with mental disorders.
