Anti-Boredom Month

It is estimated that, at any given time, there are 10 million Americans suffering from depression. Of these, an estimated 10 percent will commit suicide. The Boring Institute, a famed media spoof as well as a clearinghouse for information about boredom, says that, of the signs most frequently listed as indicators of depression, boredom is almost always neglected.

"The next time someone tells you they’re bored to death," says Alan Caruba, the institute’s founder, "take it seriously."

The American Psychological Association lists "Finding little or no pleasure in life" and "experiencing a change in eating or sleeping patterns," along with "losing interest in hobbies or sleeping patterns" among the signs of depression, "but the presence of an extended period of boredom is not mentioned," says Caruba. "It should be."

Among teens and senior citizens, suicide is a major cause of death "and these two groups are the most likely to complain of being bored," says Caruba. Both parents of teens and even pre-teens, along with the children of aged parents rarely recognize boredom as a major indicator of emotional problems. "It is just too easy to dismiss boredom as something that will just go away on its own. Minor efforts to encourage a teen or an aged parent to "get over it" are usually the only effort made.

Since its founding in 1984, Caruba says he has received thousands of letters from both teenagers and retirees, complaining of this problem. "Both have in common a loss of the joy of life, a feeling it has any purpose. Both have difficulty focusing on even the most common ways to overcome boredom."

Originally and continuing still, The Boring Institute was created to poke fun at celebrities, movies, television, and other media-related personalities and events that are fraught with boredom as the result of over-exposure. "Anti-Boredom Month" came about as the result of Caruba’s growing recognition that boredom was tied to many personal and social problems. In 1985, he created the event to call attention to the life-threatening aspects of boredom.

In addition to depression and suicide, Caruba says that boredom is tied to social problems that include addictions, crime, divorce, the decision to drop out of school, loss of productivity on the job, low voter turnout for elections, and other problems affecting individuals and society in general.

The Institute publishes Beating Boredom. This guide that offers 10 basic guidelines to help people overcome and avoid boredom, along with a list of nearly 70 ideas of things to do. You can purchase it directly from this Web site for only $4.95.