Meagan really wanted this Christmas to be “extra special” — not like last year, when the family dinner turned nasty and Uncle Fred left in a huff. But as Christmas approached, the shopping chores multiplied, and the savings account dwindled, Meagan became increasingly anxious and dejected. Paul, her husband, wasn’t of much help — he was preoccupied with his job search, after having been laid off two months ago. Meagan was left to deal with three school-age kids and a part-time “temp” job as a secretary. And all this, at a time Meagan strongly associated with her late mother, who always used to help with the holiday cooking — and who had passed away at about this time last year.

In the past few days, Meagan had found it increasingly hard to fall asleep, and noticed that her appetite was poor. From time to time, she found herself weeping or sighing, but not knowing what to do. She wondered if “maybe having a few drinks” might do her some good.

Meagan (a composite character) has a number of risk factors for feeling down or depressed. First, women have rates of serious depression about twice those of men, and are also at higher risk for a particular type of major depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). In addition, the combined stresses of holiday chores, child care, and financial woes put Megan at risk for what is popularly known as “the holiday blues.” So does Meagan’s “anniversary reaction” over the death of her mother. But what do we really know about the “holiday blues,” beyond hundreds of anecdotes and Internet postings? How do the “blues” differ from SAD and other forms of major depression? And is the commonly-held notion that suicide rates soar during the Christmas and winter holiday season really valid? Some recent research sheds light on these questions, while also highlighting many “grey areas” in our knowledge.

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