- Posted August 20, 2025
Sensitive People More Vulnerable To Mood Disorders
Sensitive people tend to have a higher risk of developing a mood disorder, a new evidence review says.
In particular, highly sensitive souls are more likely to develop depression or suffer from anxiety, researchers report in the journal Clinical Psychological Science.
“This is the first meta-analysis providing robust evidence that highly sensitive people are more prone to common mental health problems,” said senior researcher Michael Pluess, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of Surrey in the U.K.
“However, it is important to remember that highly sensitive people are also more responsive to positive experiences, including psychological treatment,” he added in a news release.
For the review, researchers pooled data from 33 prior studies looking at the mental health of nearly 12,700 people.
The team focused on sensitivity, a personality trait that reflects a heightened ability to perceive and process stimuli like bright lights, subtle changes in surroundings and other people’s moods.
About 31% of the general population are considered highly sensitive, researchers said in background notes.
“This is the most extensive systematic review on sensitivity and mental health in adolescents and adults to date, and is the first ever meta-analysis on the topic to estimate the impact of this relationship,” lead researcher Tom Falkenstein, a psychotherapist and doctoral student at Queen Mary University of London, said in a news release.
Sensitivity is often overlooked in mental health, compared to other personality traits like neuroticism, researchers said.
But the combined studies found that sensitivity is linked to mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, PTSD and agoraphobia, Falkenstein said. (People with agoraphobia avoid places or situations that might cause panic, feelings of helplessness or embarrassment.)
“Our findings suggest that sensitivity should be considered more in clinical practice, which could be used to improve diagnosis of conditions,” Falkenstein said.
The results also showed that people with more sensitivity might be more likely to benefit from treatment techniques like applied relaxation and mindfulness, researchers said.
“Sensitivity should be considered when thinking about treatment plans for mental health conditions,” Falkenstein said.
“Our work shows it is crucial that the awareness of sensitivity is improved among mental health care professionals, so clinicians and practitioners can recognize the trait in their patients, and tailor treatment to their sensitivity,” he added.
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on highly sensitive people.
SOURCE: Queen Mary University of London, news release, Aug. 16, 2025
