Free Republic

Too many people are being diagnosed with depression when they are merely unhappy, a senior psychiatrist said today. Normal emotions are sometimes being treated as mental illness because the threshold for clinical depression is too low, according to Professor Gordon Parker. Prof Parker said depression had become a "catch-all" diagnosis, driven by clever marketing from pharmaceutical companies and leading to the burgeoning prescription of antidepressant drugs. Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), he said the drugs were being marketed beyond their "true utility" in cases in which people were unhappy rather than clinically depressed.

Study Links Hurricanes to Teen Smokers Jun 25 05:07 PM US/Eastern BEAUMONT, Texas (AP) - Teenagers in a southeast Texas county were more likely to smoke cigarettes if they or their family members were affected by Hurricanes Katrina or Rita, according to a university study. The study by the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston surveyed more than 5,100 middle school and high school students in Jefferson County six to nine months after the hurricanes made landfall. "The physical damage was easy to see, but the psychological damage from the hurricanes was pretty well hidden," said Alfred L....

New Jersey took a leap forward in its self-declared race with other states for the lead in stem cell research yesterday as Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill providing $270 million in state aid to build five research centers. Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex), a prime sponsor of the legislation, told a standing-room-only audience at the Statehouse ceremony that research to be conducted at the new centers will affect people all over the world. "The true scope of this initiative may not be felt for a decade or even longer," Codey said, "when people around the world live vastly improved...

People who donate to Mothers Against Drunk Driving are told by the charity that most of the $12 million it raises annually is spent on good works — stopping drunk driving and helping families traumatized by fatal crashes. But a Star investigation reveals most of the high-profile charity's money is spent on fundraising and administration, leaving only about 19 cents of each donor dollar for charitable works. MADD chief executive officer Andrew Murie defends the expenses, saying the paid telemarketers and door-knockers are actually performing good works because they educate the public as they ask for cash. That's a defence...

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Several metro middle school students were sick Friday night after eating food that had been left out since before Christmas. Cafeteria workers at Western Oaks Middle School, in the Putnam City school district, on Northwest 23rd Street made the mistake, officials said. According to reports, the workers left behind a tray of about 25 burgers inside a warmer. When school resumed after the holiday break, that food was mixed with fish sandwiches and served to students. Officials said they took immediate action to get the bad food out of the cafeteria rotation. However, 10 students took at...

The seven Michelin teams have agreed that they will only race in the USGP if a chicane is fitted before the banked Turn 13 overnight. The teams have written a letter to the FIA explaining their position and requesting the construction of a chicane. However that is extremely unlikely to happen, which means that we could see a race take place with just the six Bridgestone cars in it, if the Michelin teams stick to their agreement. The news emerged after most of the world’s media had headed off to dine in downtown Indy, which means that Speedtv.com was left...

THE NEW YORK OBSERVER will report tomorrow: 'Former 60 Minutes Wednesday executive editor Josh Howard has told colleagues that before he resigns, the 23-year CBS News veteran will demand that the network retract remarks by CBS president Leslie Moonves, correct its official story line and ultimately clear his name'... In the event of a lawsuit, Mr. Howard has told associates that he would like to see Moonves put under oath to talk about his own roles in the network's stubborn, hapless defense of the flawed segment on President Bush's National Guard service. Howard has also indicated to colleagues that he...

<p>September 5, 2003 -- The father of a soldier killed in the ambush in Iraq that Pvt. Jessica Lynch survived is furious she's getting a $1 million book deal.</p> <p>"I don't have a problem about her writing about her life, but when it involves not only my son, but of the others injured, wounded or killed, why should one person make money over the deaths of other people?" said Randy Kiehl, the father of Army Spc. James Kiehl, who was killed in action.</p>

So what happened? Any stunning secrets? Dissappointing, shocking, or good? Yeah, yeah, yeah, its stupid and meaningless, TV will destroy the Roman Empire, etc., save us the speeches. Yes TV has never been the same since Greg Kinnear left Talk Soup(though I thought Monkey Boy had his moments). I just wanna know what happened.

A senior Fatah activist was assassinated by Israel on Sunday evening when a public telephone exploded in his hand in the West Bank town of Beit Jala, Palestinian witnesses said. They identified him as Mohammed Abayat, 25, a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group affiliated with Fatah movement. Kamal Ahmed, secretary-general of Fatah's Bethlehem branch, accused Israel of assassinating Abayat. The witnesses said Abayat was killed by an explosion as he made a call in a public telephone booth near a hospital in Beit Jala, a town outside Bethlehem. Medical officials said the blast occurred shortly after Abayat...