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Blue Monday Brings Sun in the Netherlands as Debunked Idea Fuels Mental-Health Push

Mental-health advocates repurpose the label to raise awareness and funds.

Overview

  • Weeronline forecasts a largely sunny day with possible morning mist, highs near 3°C in the north and up to 6°C in the south.
  • Blue Monday began in 2005 when psychologist Cliff Arnall supplied a ‘depression formula’ for a Sky Travel marketing campaign.
  • Scientists and journalists say there is no evidence for a single most depressive day, a point Arnall later acknowledged, though the myth endures in media and advertising.
  • Stichting MIND calls the concept nonsense but uses the day for its Blue Monday Run to raise money for a mentally healthy society, letting participants choose their own distance.
  • RTV Noord highlights Marloes, 29, who is joining the run after experiencing depression, aiming to show that mental problems are real and often not visible.