The myths surrounding “Blue Monday”
Posted Jan 17, 2016 2:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Feeling blue?
The third Monday of January is said to be the most depressing day of the year, but according to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, research proves this isn’t true.
Executive director Mara Grunau told 660 NEWS, after a bit of digging, the centre discovered the myth of “Blue Monday” emerged back in 2005 in Wales.
“Basically, the travel industry was looking for a way to hook people into booking more sunny holidays and beach destinations. This is one, kind of, idea that came out of it and I’m not suggesting that it was ever designed to mislead people or anything malicious like that at all. But it is important for people to know that there is absolutely no scientific proof for this,” said Grunau.
She added, depression and suicide rates don’t actually spike on Blue Monday, or even in the month of January. Instead, they’re fairly consistent throughout the entire year.
One of the big issues she has with the idea of Blue Monday is that it trivializes depression.
“For people who are experiencing major depressive disorders, or major depressive episodes, the thought that the ‘winter blahs’ accounts for what they’re going through is just not at all fair and it is not at all equal to what major depression is.”
She added, if someone is feeling blue, or if knows someone who is, there are plenty of outlets available to turn to for help.
To learn more, visit the centre’s website.
