People all over the world are celebrating Valentine’s Day on Friday, and while it’s a happy occasion for some, it might be a tough time for a lot of people. 

Millions of Americans say their mental health worsens around the holiday. A 2022 study found that Valentine's Day “blues” are a real psychological phenomenon. It’s a form of situational depression that occurs in the weeks leading up to or following Feb. 14.

Spectrum News 1 National Mental Health Correspondent Dr. Nicole Clark has more on the Valentine’s Day blues and what you can do about it. She explains Valentine's Day blues, how loneliness can impact physical health, how people can cope and more.

Research conducted by Dr. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a neuroscience professor at Brigham Young University, found that loneliness has the same health risk factors as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. 

“Being isolated and lonely are both independent risk factors for earlier mortality, risk factors for cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, even more acute kinds of things such as our immune functioning and susceptibility to cold and flu viruses," Dr. Holt-Lunstad said.

You can watch more with Dr. Clark in the video player above.