Grant, Alistair

Blue Monday is the name given to a day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) by former Cardiff University health psychologist Cliff Arnall in 2005. Arnall is a member of The British Psychological Society (BPS). It is said by a UK travel company, Sky Travel, to be the most depressing day of the year. It takes into account weather conditions and thus only applies to the Northern Hemisphere temperate zones. Some have dismissed the idea as pseudoscience. Mental health advocacy groups, including the Samaritans and Mind, have used Blue Monday to facilitate talk about mental health.