Believe it or not -- sociology researchers at Ohio State University have found that getting married may go a long way towards curing a person's depression.

First researchers gathered a group of about 3000 subjects. Some were depressed and others weren't according to the depression screening which they administered. The researchers used a scale which scored these subjects using a range of 0 to 84. The results of the study showed that the scores lowered about 8 points in the depressed subjects after marriage - while non-depressed people's scores only dropped 2 points after marriage.

This new research has sparked a lot of interest in the mental health community, because is was a widely-held belief that marriage would only put strain and stress on a new marriage -- not help it. In fact, what this research shows is that people who suffer from depression probably benefit a lot more from the close emotional bonds that form with marriage - then say people who were already happy from the beginning.

This study is also interesting following other research studies which found that people who were married or even had been married at least once - were more likely to live longer than people who were never married.

Based on both of those studies -- marriage doesn't sound like a bad idea now does it?

In fact, these findings probably don't surprise a lot of us married folks. Because while there are some things to figure out and work out in a new marital relationship -- there is no disputing the fact that it is comforting to have a an emotional "partner" in your life.

But let's not get carried away with this!

These findings do not mean that people suffering from depression should run off and get married, because chances are that those marriages would indeed suffer...but they do at least show that depressed people may stand to gain more from marriage than those who are not depressed.

So if the other partner is willing, knowledgeable, and accepting of their mate (the depressed person) -- that person really stands a fighting chance of having a solid marriage and significantly reducing their symptoms of depression.

*Source: HealthDay News

---

Lisa Angelettie, "GirlShrink" is an online advice authority. Her site GirlShrink.com is the #1 "Advice & Counseling" site on the web and contributing author of "101 Great Ways To Improve Your Life". Instantly get a FREE Bonus when you sign up for her free Better Choices Ezine. Please visit us for more discussion on this topic in the depression forum to talk about it further. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for topics in the news, new articles, website & book reviews, and other useful mental health resources. Subscribe below.