The forecast calls for cold and snow -- with the threat of boredom.
It's the second week of January and the post-holiday winter blues have set in. What to do when you come down with a serious case of cabin fever -- or whatever you call the malaise that's making you moody?
Thomas Milleron, 63, a truck driver who knows a little something or two about going the distance in a confined space, says the malady is real.
"We truckers claim that we coined 'cabin fever,' " said the retired long haul driver, who lives in Canonsburg.
His personal remedy: "Lots of loud country music on the radio while driving. And spend time in your head planning a bowling party for when you get home," he advised.
"It makes the time roll by and then get you some needed exercise, even if the bowling is Wii," he said.
Origins aside, cabin fever is indeed real. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as boredom, restlessness, or irritability that results from a lack of environmental stimulation, as from a prolonged stay in a remote, sparsely populated region or a confined indoor area.
Doctors and psychologists here say the need to do something about it is just as real. We talked to a number of them to find a cure when the four walls -- and long nights and bleak landscapes -- are making you want to stay under the blankets.
"Anyone who feels like their life in winter could be improved with treatment should get it," advised Kathryn Roecklein, a psychologist at the University of Pittsburgh.
She and other health care professionals said that being able to distinguish whether that down feeling you are experiencing is something fairly innocuous, like cabin fever, is a good place to start when dealing with wintertime moodiness. Because, for some, seasonally related symptoms can be debilitating, affecting work and interpersonal relationships.
"Our bodies have many biological clocks and one of them is related to light and darkness, but not everyone recognizes this," said Judith Gusky, a Pittsburgh clinical mental health counselor who treats people with seasonal affective disorder.
"Most people aren't aware there is seasonal affective disorder. I'd say that the majority of SAD sufferers don't know they have it," Ms. Gusky said.
