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.

SAD sufferers experience common symptoms such as gaining weight in the winter and having serious depressed feelings, often beginning in October. Having the symptoms for more than one season is an indication that there could be a problem.

"If each year you sink into a depression before the holidays and stay in it until after the holidays--not being able to work, having trouble focusing or getting out of bed, feeling unproductive, depressed and withdrawn--you could have SAD," Ms. Gusky said.

Winter blues and SAD are significantly different -- the latter is a more severe level of depression, Dr. Roecklein said.

Symptoms such as low energy, an increased consumption of carbohydrates and less activity might signal that a person has got winter blues, Dr. Roecklein said.

"Exercise is one of the first things to go," she said.

SAD can make some people sleep 14 hours a day, Dr. Roecklein said.

A few books on the market provide self-assessments. The Center for Environmental Therapeutics has a self-assessment for SAD on its Web site, www.cet.org.

The University of Pittsburgh has a SAD research study ongoing through February. The study is recruiting people who think they have SAD and or winter blues, and is focused on genetic factors that might enable better treatment options. A thorough clinical assessment is done, Dr. Roecklein said.

"Some people feel depressed and blame it on winter blues, when it's something more important," cautioned Elizabeth Mazur, a developmental psychologist at Penn State University Allegheny Campus, in McKeesport. "There's a tendency to blame it on winter in Pittsburgh."

Getting enough sleep (usually at least eight or nine hours per night) is important in avoiding or combating blues and more, Dr. Mazur said.

Getting active is another way. While the cold weather limits options for outside exercise, cross country skiing is a sport that is great exercise and a fun way to enjoy the outdoors in the winter. For those who enjoy skating, an afternoon at the local skating rink, (coupled perhaps with a warm pretzel and hot chocolate), can boost spirits.

"The key is to make it enjoyable," Dr. Roecklein said.

Regular exercise is important in lifting one's mood, but it's probably the hardest thing to ask people who are feeling fatigued to do, Ms. Gusky said.

"It's so difficult to drag yourself out of bed," she said, noting that diet plays a role in a healthy lifestyle, too. "It's a matter of eating well and staying away from a preponderance of carbohydrates."

"Common approaches to treating these conditions include medications such as antidepressants, talk therapy and light therapy, Ms. Gusky said.

Bright sunlight is the equivalent of 100,000 lux -- units which measure the intensity of light -- but light therapy experts recommend that people needing the therapy use a light with 10,000 lux of illumination. (By contrast, the light of a full moon equals 0.10 lux.)

Those interested in learning more about Pitt's SAD study should e-mail easonality605@gmail.com, or call 412-624-9180.

Katie Anderson of Mt. Lebanon has a little helper who kicks her into gear: Her 15-month-old Cocka-Poo, named Barnaby. Mrs. Anderson named the pup after the character played by actor Buddy Ebsen because of the dog's similarly heavy eyebrows.

"We go out four or five times a day," Mrs. Anderson said.

She said she also stays active by tutoring a Japanese woman in English as a second language. Barnaby also soon will be doing his part to help the community, since he recently was certified as a therapy dog. Soon, the two will be visiting nursing homes and other places with folks in need of the therapeutic effects of a pooch.

Baldwin Borough resident Ruthe D'Hert, who is retired from the U.S. Attorney's office, spends part of her time in the winter staying busy as a volunteer with Meals on Wheels, and also volunteers for the VA Hospital in Oakland. She said she feels fortunate and likes to stay busy, and also likes to be able to give something back to the community.

When the weather is too bad to go out, she keeps herself busy reading, doing crossword puzzles, or straightening up her home, Mrs. D'Hert said.

Peters resident Eileen Theroff, who retired from Peters Township Library in 2001 but still volunteers there, said she visits the library and uses a computer there more in the winter.

"Sometimes my husband and I will go to the mall or a movie to get out," Mrs. Theroff said.

She also meets for lunch each Tuesday with five friends and at home makes her favorite comfort foods.

For many, winter is a natural contemplative time. Perhaps because of this and because of limited opportunities for outdoor fun more people head to their local library at this time of year, said Pier Lee, head librarian at the Peters library.

"After the holidays, people are looking for things to do," Mrs. Lee said. "It's a time when people are looking for new projects -- things they now have time for."

Peters library hosts a number of clubs (including two adult book clubs and two book clubs for kids), and offers foreign language classes and other attractions that bring people in. The library's Young Adult Room has Wii and Xbox 360 gaming systems, which are the focus of the attention of young adults, who teach the video games to senior citizens from 10:30 a.m. to noon Mondays, and 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.

The library's "Wii Sports for Seniors" program occurs from January through April.

For mothers with young children, Bodies Yoga, at the library on Mondays, gives yoga instruction for children ages 3 to 6 who are accompanied by an adult.

In general, libraries in the South Hills offer more programs in winter because there is a greater need for them, Mrs. Lee said.

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