The (Brazosport) Facts, Jan. 6, 2009 UTMB's Larry Micheletti is quoted in this article about seasonal affective disorder. "Getting the blues is temporary; it's normal to people to get the blues.  What's not typical - when it becomes abnormal - is when it happens consistently over a period of time, lasts a period of time or impacts their functioning in a negative way. (For instance,) they can't get out of bed, they can't take care of personal hygiene, they can't go to work."