The third Monday of each January has been dubbed "Blue Monday," known as the most depressing day of the year. But is this actually the case?

Blue Monday originated from a publicity stunt, but seasonal affective disorder is a real affliction that affects millions of people. There are ways to treat it.

Since British psychologist Dr Cliff Arnall came up with a mathematical formula that sought to explain the January blues back in 2004 – and then the big wigs at Sky Travel invented 'Blue Monday' as a marketing ploy to encourage holiday bookings – the third Monday of the month has been affectionately dubbed 'the most depressing day of the year.