Gail Casey was very unhappy all the time. She didn't have any friend to talk to. She was depressed. Depression is very serious. Many depressed people need medicine to be healthy and feel better. But some depressed people don't need medicine. They need a good friend.
Some scientists studied a group of depressed people. They want to help them. They studied Gail and some other people. The scientists did not give medicine to Gail and the others. Instead, each depressed person made a new friend. The scientists thought that friendship would make these people healthy.
Gail and her new friend, Amy, met often. They went for coffee, to dinner, or to the movies together. Gail slowly started to feel better. She and Amy talked about their problems together, too. Gail had a problem with her job.
She was very depressed at work. She worked a lot of hours, but her boss does not give her more money. She was afraid to talk to her boss about it. Gail talked about this problem with Amy. After she talked with Amy, she didn't feel afraid anymore. Then, she talked to her boss, and he agreed to give her more money. Now Gail is happy at work too.
After one year, many of the other people felt happy, too. They did not need medicine to feel better. Their new friends were good for their health!