What is cabin fever?

Answer 1

Cabin fever, while not an actual disease as the name suggests, is a state of restlessness, depression and irritability brought on by an extended stay in a confined space or a remote, isolated area. The lack of environmental stimulation can have real, tangible side effects that have a detrimental impact on anyone suffering from cabin fever. There is little documented evidence, but many speculate that those who may already be mentally unbalanced can be dramatically affected by cabin fever.

Historians speculate that the term cabin fever was first used to describe early U.S. settlers who experienced long winters in their log cabins, snowed in until the spring thaw. The term is dated to the 19th century by the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms and is first recorded in 1918, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary. Suffering from cabin fever is similar to going stir crazy, a term that originates from a mid-19th century slang term, stir, which meant "prison". Stir crazy was typically used to describe the behavior exhibited by inmates in prison suffering from the effects of a long incarceration.

The origins of the term may also date from the time of frequent oceanic crossings, when people endured the long passage across the Atlantic in small, cramped quarters below the deck of a ship. In addition, during outbreaks of disease, people were often confined or quarantined to their homes in the effort to prevent its spread. Cabin fever would have surely been a result in either of these situations.

Cabin fever is such a universal affliction that movies and books have dramatized its sometimes horrifying effect on people and their mental state. Stephen King’s The Shining is a perfect example of how isolation can drive a person mad. The family in the film is holed up in a remote hotel resort, snowed in until spring. Add isolation, lack of entertainment and a supernatural presence, and madness ensues. Other story plots have explored how extended space missions can cause cabin fever, and the theme has also been dealt with in a recent storyline on The Simpsons television show.

In areas of the world where snow piles up all winter long, driving people indoors, cabin fever is a real issue. In addition to long periods of time confined to a small space, the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) exacerbate cabin fever. Many people suffer from SAD during the winter months, when sunny days are few and far between, and they sink into a very real depression.

Those especially susceptible to cabin fever are children who are confined to the house during rain or cold weather. Also, stay-at-home moms have long bemoaned the cabin fever they suffer from when confined to the house without adult interaction. Passive entertainment from television and video games may pass the time, but don’t provide the active, interactive entertainment that people crave.

Reading, board games and card games may help, but getting outdoors and engaging in physical activity may be the only real “cure.” Many people who live in the northern U.S. cross-country ski, snowshoe or snowmobile as outdoor activities. Calling a friend, or simply trying to get a change of scenery, may help as well.

Answer 2

i think it's when your cabin has a fever, and you need to get it some cough drops, some chicken soup, and let it rest for awhile. i hope your cabin's feeling better.

Answer 3

It basically means that a person has been cooped up too long, whether that is on a ship or in a house.

I'm a stay-at-home mom, and this winter has been terrible. All you want to do is to get out, even though you can't.

Answer 4

it's when you have a fever... and you're on the INSIDE of a cabin. Make sure you're on INSIDE of the cabin. Very important.

Answer 5

Well, in the olden days, we used to get snowed in for a few weeks or a month. We would get really bored and wanted to get out of the house to see other people and do something different. Being confined makes people restless and irritable..

Answer 6

It's when it's been so cruddy outside that you've had to be inside most of the time, or you've been sick and couldn't get out... and you're going nuts...wishing you could go out and do something besides sit around in the house!

Answer 7

1- A movie.
2- A condition that produces restlessness and irritability caused from being in a confined space.

Answer 8

I have two answers to your question....
A. The anxious distaste one feels after being cooped up indoors for an extended period of time.
B. Higher than average body temperature associated with the symptoms of the common cold or flu virus on acquires while sleeping in a rustic log home (or a new one poorly insulated) due to improper "jamming", "chinking" or seam closure.

Answer 9

It's when you get depressed and/or anxious by staying indoors for too long. I find that it happens most often during the colder months, when there is far less sunlight.

Answer 10

Being couped up inside because of the cold outside.