Not to worry. You’re not alone after all. And, there’s actually a medical term for what you thought was just a simple case of separation anxiety or withdrawal. You, along with countless others, suffer from Downton Abbey Effect. Symptoms seem to center around a sense of loss or, in some cases, distress that is  comparable to the end of a relationship.

A recent study in the U.S. that appeared in the journal Mass Communication and Society revealed that participants’ distress varied depending on how strong their ‘relationship’ was with the program and/or character that went off the end at the end of the series or season.

According to the study, 40 percent of those that participated in the survey moved on to other media-related activities such as more television viewing or using the internet while only 18 percent spent more time with family and friends.

Maybe this will give you something to bridge the gap between now and Downton Abbey 2 which will return this Fall in the UK and premiere on PBS in the United States beginning Sunday, 8 January, 2012. How about a visit to Highclere Castle where the series was filmed? That should pass the time between now and the broadcast premiere.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g6f6NZ49yw