People who experience the breakup of a relationship initiated by the other person develop major depressive disorder at a rate more than 2 times that of people who experience the death of a loved one (Kendler, Hettema, Butera, Gardner, & Prescott, 2003). This finding illustrates that humiliating exit events carry a greater depression risk than losses without humiliation.

Breakup Versus Bereavement: Comparative Depression Risk

Exit events are especially likely to trigger depression when they occur in a way that humiliates or devalues the individual, rather than simply involving loss.

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Exit events are a type of stressful life event involving the departure of an important person, such as a death, a divorce or separation, or a family member leaving home. Exit events often occur prior to the onset of a depressive episode (Paykel, 2003).

Exit Events as Precursors to Depression

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

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