Budget woes put public-health agencies on critical list

When Laurice Slaughter was first teamed up with a nurse, she was hardly a model of maternal promise: an unemployed teen who more often slept on other people's couches than in her own bed. But for two years, public-health nurse Erika Boyd has visited her every two weeks without fail, guiding her through an emergency C-section, postpartum depression, single parenthood and homelessness — not to mention a neophyte mother's general inexperience.

Today mother and daughter live in a subsidized apartment in Pioneer Square, and Slaughter, at 20, is hoping to enroll in community college next year. She wouldn't be the mother she is without the help she's received, she said. "I wouldn't be here right now." The funding crisis has added urgency to calls by community advocates and public-health officials for a stable revenue source to replace the lost car-tax money once and for all.

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Soup du gore beats 'Sims' for brain food

Violent music and video games have long been blamed for everything from the Columbine shootings to teen depression. That argument's been smacked around more than my wife (for the record, I don't have a wife … and probably never will now), but I'm going to take it a step further and turn it back on those same conservative naysayers.

What people need to be wary of isn't forms of media that present themselves honestly as pure detachment and fantasy but ones that earnestly attempt to simulate reality and influence the way we behave. While people complain about the damage that games like Doom did to our youth, they ignore the possibility that the real evil came in the guise of more "educational" games.

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Newport bachelor eats at college cafeteria for 40 years, donates

Depression-era Omaha is where a pre-teen Lindsay collected dandelions to sell as chicken feed, earning a few pennies each week to buy bread for his family.

Walking to school one morning, a skinny, starved Lindsay picked through a neighbor's garbage can and emerged with a not-quite-empty jar of peanut butter.

"Bruce eagerly ate the peanut butter and would never forget how delicious it tasted," according to a self-published biography of Lindsay's life written by a friend.

Now, admittedly, eating from a garbage can � and being so desperate that you enjoy it, no less � might make any reasonable person a tad frugal. For Lindsay, though, financial security became a real obsession.

Even as things began looking up in the 1940s, after his family had moved to California, there was no way he'd let impulse buys send him back to the poorhouse.

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Ashland forum targets cyber bullying

These trends could contribute to other worrisome statistics the survey turned up on teen depression, stress and suicide, Moro said.

The apparent anonymity of the Internet also makes bullying easier, May said. Straightforward insults or threats are most common, but bullies sometimes use digital images or videos to publicly humiliate their victims. Others may pose as their target on social networking sites to mock them or even use viruses and identity theft, she said.

The results can be devastating, May said, citing a student whose schoolmate sent a nude photo of him to his teachers, principal and superintendent.

Bullies and their targets should know any information put online can come back to haunt them. Even private profiles on social networking sites can be hacked, and sometimes even deleted information can still be accessed later.

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Group aims to support teens

As an example, Singer offered a few signs of a teen dealing with depression: truancy, a short temper or sensitivity to criticism.

"Put that all together, and how does that label a teen in most schools?" she said. "Bad kid. So those signs are being missed."

Singer offered a suggestion for teens who might be reluctant to attend such a meeting.

"As far as the possibility of embarrassment or shame or whatever negativity the kid is thinking about, there is the tremendous reassurance that you are not alone," Singer said. "The feeling of power that comes to you because you are supported and cared about by others who understand."

Alberghini went further.

"Just try one," she said. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. You can just listen."

jfrantz@ydr.com; 771-2062

ABOUT THE GROUP This support group is for teenagers who have mental illness, who have friends or family diagnosed with mental illness, or who are concerned about what's happening in their own lives.

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Teen's film revealed depression

Without realizing he was scripting his own life, at age 16 Mackie made a film about a teen who finds no joy in life, who wants to end his emotional pain through a drug-induced eternal high. The film — called "Eternal High" — has since won 24 national awards and is now distributed in more than 10 countries, as well as in communities across the United States.

Mackie will speak and show the 3-minute film at noon Wednesday at a free community event in the Walb Student Union Ballroom at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

"When I made this film, I really didn't know I was depressed," Mackie says. "Life was boring. I didn't see much enjoyment in living."

So Mackie the writer and high school tennis star intensely describes what it is like for someone else to live with severe depression.

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Struck by SUV, Burbank teen dies with friends around her

McSheridan had helped a pal suffering with depression and volunteered with "To Write Love on Her Arms," a charity that helps teenage self-harmers, her sister Kelly said.

"I think that shows how selfless she was," her sister said.

Jeremy Naser, a close friend, was one of eight friends who rushed to Christ Medical Center on Wednesday night after learning of the accident. Though McSheridan never regained consciousness, they were with her at the end.

"She loved to draw her friends and her favorite band members," he said. "She was so kind-hearted and creative."

Rick McSheridan said the fact so many of her friends had come to the hospital so quickly was revealing.

"You wouldn't expect that teenagers would want to be in that room, because she was in pretty bad shape," he said.

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“Wishful Drinking” Puts the “Dis” in Dysfunction

As a teen, she witnessed the parade of stepmothers who came in and out of her father's life, one not much older than herself. In her 20s she rocketed to fame in Star Wars, had two failed marriages to the same man, wrote the very successful novel and subsequent screenplay for the scathingly funny semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge, and got admitted to rehab for the first of many times. A drug addict and alcoholic later diagnosed with manic depression (now called bipolar disorder), Fisher today at 52 could be considered the poster child for survival.

The sarcastically self-effacing actress and scribe refuses to tag herself with that label, however. She also venomously disparages tell-all celebrities while telling all on her own self and family. Fisher's seemingly absurd history - truth being far stranger than fiction - could easily devolve into self-serving 12-step confession.

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Teen jailed for knife attack

He said he now knew that if he took cannabis it would not help his depression, but exacerbate it.

Judge Mark Horton said: “You attacked the victim in his own home in an unprovoked attack with a knife causing a serious and permanent injury to his face which requires 20 stitches with which he will live for the rest of his life."

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The Family Counselling Centre

The agency's counselling programs address a broad range of areas including depression, work-related issues, child behaviour, relationship issues, family violence, problem solving and conflict resolution.

Among the agency's programs focusing on family violence are Side by Side - a group program for children and mothers who have experienced abuse in their families, For Me and My Mom - a counselling program for child witnesses of domestic abuse, and the Partner Assault Response Program - a group program for men who have been abusive to their partners.

The Family Counselling Centre's employee assistance programs offer professional, confidential counselling for organizations that helps employees and their families deal with personal and work-related concerns. Health and wellness education and management training for supervisors and employers is also offered.

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Watching With Kids in Mind

Lily makes friends with Zach (Tristan Wilds), a brainy teen who works for the sisters and aims to be a lawyer.

Eventually, a truth emerges about Lily's mother, for whom she still pines. Memories of her mother's violent death haunt her. What could be sickly sweet instead has enough tartness to stay interesting. The film is fine for teens, but it does include some violence, death, racial epithets, profanity, sexual innuendo, drinking and a depression theme.

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"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (PG). Stereotypical ethnic humor and trite doggie-poop jokes intermingle with genuinely funny bits in this uneven live-action (well, mostly) family comedy. Real dogs "talk" to one another, thanks to computer animation.

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Sebastian Stan

Answer, if that depression was great like this one: Attend a screening of the latest teen sex comedy (or is that teen-sex comedy?) at the Tribeca Grand.

This past Sunday it was Sex Drive, an oddly restrained little composition in the American Pie school whose craftsman-like simulation of raunch almost made up for its workmanlike impression of heart. The thrill might be gone (surely as much the Daily Transom's problem as the film's), but the mileposts were reached with unimpeachable alacrity: virginity, semen-involving hijink, astonishingly attractive best-friend girl understood as edgy due to darkness of hair, improbable set-up of road trip leading to sex-opportunity (sexportunity?), execution of said road trip, sight gag involving an elder gentleman's scrotum, an imbecilic Seth Green as Amish mechanic, complications to said road-trip and said sex-opportunity, mutual realization of unspoken more-than-friend status with best-friend girl.

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Chastity advocate pulls no punches

Evert stressed that taking this route leads to greater happiness, noting that the potential for depression rises sharply among teen boys and girls who become sexually active. Lest young people fear losing their popularity, he pointed out that football's Philip Rivers, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, was a virgin and so was his wife, Tiffany, when they got married.

Evert noted that chastity and abstinence are not the same things: Whereas abstinence means not having sex, chastity also includes pure thoughts and speech. He also pointed out the difference between infatuation and true love, declaring that "a lot of people think if the feeling goes down, love is disappearing. That's not true at all."

Evert asserted that true love is not really a feeling, but "an act of the will to do your best for someone else" that has a much greater permanence.

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Bend seniors recall Great Depression's lessons

In 1929, Gene and Betty Harries weren't even teen-agers, and growing up in the Midwest. the Great Depression hit them hard.

"I remember that there wasn't much money back then. If you found any money on the floor, it was real money, and you kept it," said Gene Harries, who was barely 10 years old when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. And they say many had it harder than they did.

That was then, and now things are much different. Economists and historians say the most important difference between today's economic environment and the old days is the government's role.

"Our economy is depending on decisive action from the government," President Bush said in recent, tumultuous days."The sooner we address the problem, the sooner we can get back on the path of growth and job creation.

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Teen suicide attempts can stem from wanting to ‘escape’

Depression, bipolar disorder or other psychological disorders, as well as alcohol and drug use. • Feeling of distress, irritability or agitation.• Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.• A previous suicide attempt.• A family history of depression or suicide.• Physical or sexual abuse.• Lack of a support network, poor relationships with parents or peers, and feelings of social isolation.• Dealing with homosexuality in a non-supportive family or community or hostile school environment.Suicide among teens often occurs following a stressful life event, such as a perceived failure at school, a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a major family conflict.A teen who is thinking about suicide might:• Talk about suicide or death in general.• Talk about "going away."• Talk about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty.• Pull away from friends or family.• Lose the desire to take part in favorite things or activities.• Have trouble concentrating or thinking clearly.• Experience changes in eating or sleeping habits.• Self-destructive behavior (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast, for example).For parents, it’s important to know the warning signs, to keep your eyes and ears open, and to keep the lines of communication with your teen open.

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Forum to focus on teen suicides

Although youth suicide is the topic of the workshop, Bowles prefers to focus on suicide as a product of depression, an illness that can be treated successfully. Bowles said he's been invited by schools to talk to students in the wake of a suicide.

"I talk mostly about depression because you don't know which one of those people are going to kill themselves," Bowles explained. "There is a lot of emphasis on suicide, but it should be on depression."

Everyone goes through bouts of depression, but red flags should go up if the depression lasts beyond two weeks, he said.

Individuals can try to overcome depression by talking to friends, exercising, eating healthy, getting sufficient rest, avoiding drugs or alcohol (which is a depressant), problem solving, doing something for others, not striving to be perfect ("nobody is," he said), laughing or taking a break from the sadness by deciding to "feel sorry for myself for (only) a half-hour today," he suggested.

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Forum to focus on teen suicides

Although youth suicide is the topic of the workshop, Bowles prefers to focus on suicide as a product of depression, an illness that can be treated successfully. Bowles said he's been invited by schools to talk to students in the wake of a suicide.

"I talk mostly about depression because you don't know which one of those people are going to kill themselves," Bowles explained. "There is a lot of emphasis on suicide, but it should be on depression."

Everyone goes through bouts of depression, but red flags should go up if the depression lasts beyond two weeks, he said.

Individuals can try to overcome depression by talking to friends, exercising, eating healthy, getting sufficient rest, avoiding drugs or alcohol (which is a depressant), problem solving, doing something for others, not striving to be perfect ("nobody is," he said), laughing or taking a break from the sadness by deciding to "feel sorry for myself for (only) a half-hour today," he suggested.

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MNI researchers locate neurological basis of depression following sports concussion

Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University have identified the neurological basis of depression in male athletes with persisting post-concussion symptoms. The study, published in this weeks issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, has important clinical implications for the treatment of individuals who have suffered a cerebral concussion.

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Watching With Kids in Mind

Lily makes friends with Zach (Tristan Wilds), a brainy teen who works for the sisters and aims to be a lawyer.

Eventually, a truth emerges about Lily's mother, for whom she still pines. Memories of her mother's violent death haunt her. What could be sickly sweet instead has enough tartness to stay interesting. The film is fine for teens, but it does include some violence, death, racial epithets, profanity, sexual innuendo, drinking and a depression theme.

Also Playing

8 and Older

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (PG). Stereotypical ethnic humor and trite doggie-poop jokes intermingle with genuinely funny bits in this uneven live-action (well, mostly) family comedy. Real dogs "talk" to one another, thanks to computer animation.

Read More