The concept was proposed in 2004 by a psychologist who, at the request of a travel agency, wanted to find a good reason to go on vacation. It was based on factors such as cold, bad weather and debt.
They call it Blue Monday and it is said to be the saddest day of the year. But did you know that there is not a single study that proves that the third Monday in January is the saddest day of the year?
This concept was proposed in 2004 by a psychologist who, at the request of a travel agency, wanted to find a good reason to book a vacation. It was based on factors such as cold, bad weather, debts and abandonment of and determined that this would be the saddest day of the year.
Since then, it is an idea that continues to be shared and used in many marketing campaigns. But even though Blue Monday doesn’t have much basis, There are in fact people who feel that winter brings depressive symptoms and there is even a type of depression that we call seasonal affective disorder. In a very simplistic way, it is a kind of depression associated with the seasons. We think of this diagnosis when depressive symptoms always recur in the same seasons, the most typical being depression associated with winter, which begins in autumn and improves in spring or summer.
What are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?
The symptoms of seasonal depression are the same as those of regular depression. We talk about deep sadness, irritability, lack of energy or motivation, loss of interest in activities that previously gave you pleasure and physical symptoms such as insomnia or, on the other hand, drowsiness, changes in weight, constant tiredness, among others.
For a diagnosis, all of these symptoms must last more than two weeks and have a significant impact on daily life, and the characteristic that differentiates this type of depression from the more common depressive disorder is that the onset and end of symptoms occur at specific times of the year and repeatedly over the years.
What is important for you to know is that whenever there are symptoms of depression that persist over time and cause you to lose quality of life, or stop doing the things you used to do, It is important to seek medical and psychological help.
A It is a disease with a huge impact, but it can be treated and you are not supposed to live in suffering. Ask a healthcare professional for help and in cases of emergency or suicidal thoughts, also know that there is a which is available 24 hours a day free of charge, just call 1411.
