According to global data, many people tend to be more depressed in March and April, with global depression spiking around April 23rd. The trend ebbs until drifting upwards before the winter holidays, after which everyone, giddy from the euphoria of seasonal celebrations, tends to mellow back out.
But in Japan, the month of May has become notorious as the apex of sadness and despair. And this year, some are concerned that the country’s extra long annual vacation is just gonna make things worse.
The phenomenon is known in Japan as gogatsu-byou (五月病), or “May Disease”, but is probably better translated as “May Blues,” and it reflects several facts about the structure of modern Japanese society. First, the Japanese school year starts in April – an artifact of the Meiji period, when the start of the school year was changed from September to better align with the enlistment cycles of the Japanese military, as well as with the fiscal year established by the Japanese government.
Additionally, hiring and the start date of news hires in Japan follows a similar cycle. This means that most schoolchildren, as well as new employees, find themselves coping with new and challenging environments in the month of April. It’s no surprise, then, that stress leads to a full-blown depressive dip among many people in the ensuing month.
“May Blues” is the folk name given to the phenomenon, but it’s really a broad designation for the manifestation of a variety of psychological maladies, including depression, maladjustment, personality disorder, and insomnia, among others. May Blues can also signal a period of intense stress for people struggling with chronic issues such as ADHD and Autism spectrum disorders, as the change of environment and the stress of new expectations can lead to maladjustment.
According to insurance company Zurich Life, 21.6% of men and 25% of women self-report suffering from May Blues. 20-something women are the most susceptible to the dip, with almost 40% reporting suffering from the malady.
But why is 2019 particularly dangerous?
As regular readers probably know, Japan’s traditional Golden Week – a long stretch of successive holidays during which a significant part of the country shuts down – is even longer this year due to the Emperor’s abdication and the enthronement of the new Emperor. The declaration of a one-off holiday for the ascension of Crown Prince Naruhito to the throne, combined with the Japanese Holiday law, means this week’s Golden Week lasts an epic 10 days. (For the record, my company in the US recognizes 10 official holidays for the entire year. Jealous? Me?! Nooooo…)
This extra long respite from responsibility has led the staff at the Clinical Psychology Department of Kyushu University to issue a warning to the Japanese populace: Be careful how you Golden. Department Chief Mashida Kentaro is warning that the extra-long vacation is a potential pitfall for school freshmen and first-year employees, who may find their readjustment to school is even harder after an epic week-plus break.
Mashida is urging people to tone down the fun: for every two days of play, he says, people should given themselves a day to rest. If you’re tired, you should rest, and not push yourself to go on an adventure for fear of missing out. Most importantly, says Mashida, people should use the last two days of Golden Week to get back to their usual rhythm – which means waking up and going to sleep at one’s usual times, and following one’s usual diet.
Honestly, this is probably good advice for anyone who goes on vacation anywhere. I know the last time I took two weeks off in Japan, it was quite a shock jumping right back in to my usual work routine in the States. Best of luck to everyone in Japan as they struggle with what we in Seattle deal with every January.
