In his appearance (the teaser for which appears above), Pantoliano mentions that he takes antidepressants, and argues for the less controversial causes of mental health parity and frank discussion of mental illness. He's founded a nonprofit organization "based on accepting, encouraging people to admit to their disease — to seek treatment and become even greater members of society." But some members of the Mad Pride movement prefer to forgo treatment — at least, the conventional psychiatric variety.

ABC's Ia Robinson and Astrid Rodrigues talked to musician Madigan Shive, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but now prefers not to label her condition. Though she has delusions and "extreme state[s] of consciousness," Shive doesn't take medication or go to psychotherapy. Instead, she relies on her own "mad map" of triggers and coping strategies, and a network of friends who will take her to a hotel room, instead of a hospital, when her symptoms become severe. She says, "Please don't change this thing in me that creates this music and keeps me alive. ... I need my madness."

Shive says she knows people who take psychiatric medication "and use it smashingly well and I support all that." Similarly, David Oaks, leader of Mad Pride group MindFreedom International, says his organization isn't against drugs, but only against forced drugging of people who would rather manage their illness in other ways. One of MindFreedom International's FAQ pages says, "one of the main human rights violations in the mental health system today, is the way the psychiatric drug approach dominates, squeezing out alternatives and spreading dis-information."

Writer and psychiatry lecturer Charles Barber might agree, though he comes at the problem from a different direction. In a Salon article, Barber advances the recently popular argument that the rise in antidepressant use in America can be blamed on pharmaceutical marketing. Of TV ads for antidepressants, he says,

Often it is hard to tell exactly what condition the drugs are treating. The taglines of the drugs are often vague - for drugs for depression, the slogans might speak broadly but inspirationally about change and hope and getting back to one's true self. (Now that I think of it, these meta-messages are not unlike those of the Obama campaign.) The drugs thus appear to be defined less as mediators of specific medical conditions than as ways to enhance one's lifestyle and quality of life. And this is good for business: It turns out that the market base of people who are interested in enhancing their lifestyle is far greater than of those who suffer from major depression and other serious and debilitating mental illnesses.

Barber doesn't really address the problems with the health insurance industry that cause many people to take medication when more expensive therapy — or a combination of meds and therapy — might be more effective. Instead, he's more interested in branding those who take antidepressants as greedy consumers intent on "enhancing their lifestyle." And is he implying that the Obama campaign, too, was trying to sell us something we don't need?

It's become popular to argue that lots of people are on antidepressants for frivolous reasons, for what Barber calls "the blues, or financial, career or relationship problems, all of those things that we used to regard as life problems, and not medical or diagnosable ones." Most people who make this argument blame the pharmaceutical industry, but some, like Barber, seem to reserve a bit of blame for patients as well. It's undeniable that more people are taking antidepressants than ever before, and it's certainly possible that some could benefit more from other treatments. But who are these vaunted pill-poppers who don't "really need" their Prozac? Whose problems are too minor for drugs, better suited instead to finger-wagging and a course in biting the bullet? Would Barber be willing to point the finger at someone who's lost a job, a marriage, a child, and say, this form of relief should not be available to you?

A more compassionate approach would be to examine psychiatric drugs from a patient's point of view. Are they being pushed on patients who don't want them? Do antidepressants lessen patients' self-reported feelings of sorrow over what Barber calls "life problems"? Are there other treatments or practices that might help them more? In many cases, the answer to this last question is yes, and when that's the case, insurance should cover these more effective practices. But we're not going to get the answers to any of these questions if we infantilize patients, assuming they're all reaching for something they saw on TV as an easy way out of their troubles.

There are plenty of problems with the Mad Pride movement — for one thing, untreated mental illness can make people hurt themselves or others. Robinson and Rodrigues mention John Hinckley and Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho as people whose violence may have stemmed from insanity. Oaks says, "The vast majority of people with psychiatric diagnoses [...] — we're law-abiding, we're peaceful," and this is no doubt true, but he doesn't offer a solution for people who are so violent or suicidal that they can't make decisions about their own treatment. At least, though, Oaks and his fellow Mad Pride activists argue for more autonomy for those who are suffering. In arguing against the pressures of pharmaceutical companies, Barber is actually exercising his own kind of pressure.

At the end of his piece, Barber changes direction, acknowledging, "I can claim confidently that there is, right now, a high-water mark of worry and suffering on numerous fronts - economic, of course, but also social, with our ever-increasing isolation and Internet-driven loss of human connection and the ongoing trauma of wars and crises that just don't seem to end." In some ways, he recognizes, this is a difficult time to be alive. Perhaps it's not so shocking that many people turn to medication for relief — and that others find more relief in refusing such medication. And while both approaches have drawbacks, perhaps we should be a little slower to judge them.

'Mad Pride' Activists Say They're Unique, Not Sick [ABC]
Are We Really So Miserable? [Salon]
MindFreedom International [Official Site]
Teaser - Joey Pants on ABC Primetime - Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 10pm [YouTube]

Newser's Lindsey Tanner writes that although previous research indicated that about 2% of preschoolers suffer depression at some point, researchers didn't know if this depression could become chronic in kids so young. To determine this, the study followed 306 preschoolers, 75 of whom had major depression. They found that in 64% of children who were depressed at the start of the study, depression continued or recurred six months later. 40% were still suffering a full two years later. The findings are surprising because, as study author Dr. Joan Luby says, many psychologists thought "children under 6 were too emotionally immature to experience" depression.

The researchers found that toddlers were most likely to be depressed if they had depressed mothers, or if they had suffered abuse or the death of a parent. Psychiatrist Dr. Helen Egger says depression has different signs from ordinary toddler moodiness — kids seem sad even while playing, play death-themed games, throw especially violent tantrums, or become obsessively guilty over minor mistakes. However, it's not clear how clinicians should treat depressed toddlers. Some people are against prescribing drugs like Prozac to kids so young, but if left untreated, says psychiatry professor Dr. David Fassler, depression "can have a devastating and often lasting effect on a child's social and emotional development."

Early intervention may be helpful for a variety of mental illnesses, according to an article by researcher Mary E. Evans. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy lowers the rate of depression in high-risk adolescents. But toddlers aren't teenagers, and it's not yet clear what kind of intervention might prevent their depression from becoming a lifelong problem. One thing's for sure — antidepressant use is on the rise across almost all American demographic groups, and might rise even more if more toddlers were diagnosed with depression.

Whether this is a good thing is up for debate. Many people get enormous relief from antidepressants, but the increase in their use hasn't corresponded with an overall improvement in American mental health. In fact, says Dr. Eric Caine, the suicide rate for middle-aged people in America is rising. Of course, that doesn't mean antidepressants aren't working — it could mean that life in America is just getting worse, or that the drugs aren't being prescribed to those who need them most. But since antidepressants can raise the risk of suicide in children, prescribing them to the very youngest kids isn't without its problems.

Still, depressed kids clearly need help, especially when depression starts before they even start school. Putting a face on this heart-wrenching illness is the HBO documentary Boy Interrupted (clip above), in which filmmakers Dana and Hart Perry chronicle the life of their son Evan. Evan first started talking about suicide in kindergarten, and was, according to Salon's Heather Havrilesky, "obsessed with jumping out a window." He killed himself at 15. Havrilesky calls the film "a smart, thoughtful and informative glimpse at a short life that sheds light on how tough it can be to recognize and effectively treat a kid." If Evan's life is any indication, it's a problem we still haven't solved.

Mental Illness Can Be Avoided In Youth [UPI]
Depression Affects Preschoolers [UPI]
U.S. Antidepressant Use Doubles In Decade [UPI]
Not Just A Cranky Toddler: Study Finds Depression In Children As Young As 3 [Newser]
Antidepressant Use Doubles In U.S., Study Finds [MSNBC]
Depressed Nation? [LA Times]
Critics' Picks [Salon]

• A mob of 50 young men in Kathmandu, Nepal stripped a woman naked, beat her, and paraded her through the streets. Although the victim's identity is unknown, it is believed that she may have been a sex worker, or they may have mistaken her for one. • Eight of Jacqueline Kennedy's drawings of her husband, John F Kennedy, from 1961 are going up for auction today. • In 1993, Richard Allen Davis was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas. Today the California high court voted to uphold the original ruling and keep Davis on death row. • A recent report has found that although American women are fairly responsible about cutting back their drug and alcohol consumption during pregnancy, many return to their previous vices soon after giving birth. • "For someone with her sensitivity and her intellect — she was such a people person. To get a disease like this and become increasingly passive and out of touch, it breaks my heart," said Jeanne Phillips of her mother Pauline Philips, more commonly as Abigail Van Buren, aka "Abby" from the Dear Abby column. After Pauline was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, Jeanne took over the job of advice columnist and the "Dear Abby" title. • New research shows that breast cancer survivors who are taking the cancer prevention drug tamoxifen face a higher risk of having the disease return if they are also on certain anti-depressants, including Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. •  Although women now out number and outperform men in UK universities, they are still likely to earn a lower wage than men upon graduation. •  A report released Friday by the Human Rights Watch states that crimes committed against transgender people in Honduras often go ignored by the police. The group calls on the police to seriously investigate the crimes and punish all involved, which in some cases includes members of the Honduran police force. • Sterling Terrance Hospedales, a sergeant from Fort Lewis, has been charged with sex trafficking of a child and attempted sex trafficking of a child. He is accused of taking prostitution money from one juvenile and arranging to fly another girl in from Wyoming to work as a prostitute. • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new regulation which will require companies that use insects in their food dyes to list them as an ingredient on the label. Leaders of a Washington watchdog group are pleased with the measure, but would still like to see the insect-based dyes banned. • Folic acid may be even better for babies than previously thought, new study says. Doctors believe that the supplements can be helpful in preventing premature birth and heart defects, among other things. • Lt. Col. Christopher Garver said Friday the Army is investigating allegations that eight male soldiers at Fort Dix took pictures and video of a group of female soldiers showering in their unit. So far no charges have been filed. • Iranian presidential candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi announced recently his intention to "reform laws that are unfair to women." He also voiced his support for women's rights groups that are working to stop violence against women. Mousavi is one of four candidates approved to run in the elections, which will be held on June 12th. • A survey of 88 Darfuri women living in refugee camps found that a third reported or showed signs of rape while most reported fear of rape or sexual assault. The vast majority of the rapes occurred while the women were away from the camp gathering firewood. •

According to Wired, SSRI antidepressants may subtly alter the fundamental chemistry involved in romance:

"There's every reason to think SSRIs blunt your ability to fall and stay in love," said Helen Fisher, a Rutgers University biological anthropologist who has pioneered the modern science of love.

Years ago, when I was on Prozac, a friend who was also taking the drug asked me, "Can you cry? I can't cry. I think it's making it so I can't cry." She had a manic, giddy look about her. While I could, in fact, cry, I did feel that while the drug had smoothed out my rollercoaster emotions, I had become so even-keeled that while I didn't feel like shit, I wondered if it was because I couldn't feel like anything.

Wired's Brandon Keim writes:

According to Fisher, humans have three distinct but interconnected love-related brain systems: one for sex, another for attachment and another for romantic love. This is still hypothetical - nobody knows exactly what love does in the brain - but Fisher has been a pioneering researcher on romantic love's neurobiology, and dopamine indeed appears important.

Reduced dopamine levels, however, are an inevitable effect of SSRIs. Reduce dopamine, say Fisher and Thomson, and the possibility of love itself is reduced.

While I am no longer on Prozac (it's something else now), I have absolutely fallen in love. While Fisher's theory is biologically plausible, there's no definitive evidence. And I wonder if it's just different falling in love when depressed, as opposed to when not under the thick veil of despair. Could it be that when you're depressed, every emotion is so magnified that the overwhelming cascade of feelings washing over you when falling in love seems epic? When you're more level, are you less likely to lose your head? Not to say that the spark, magic and tingle of love isn't there — but is it less likely to be all-consuming to a stable individual?

Antidepressants May Thwart Quest for True Love [Wired]

[Image via Brent Moore's Flickr]

Dr. Richard Friedman writes in the Times that he initially thought this postcoital depression had a deep-seated cause, perhaps "hidden conflicts about sex" or "ambivalent feelings" toward a partner. But he found that, in several cases, the problem seemed to exist entirely on its own, perhaps as a result of a rebound in the amygdala, the brain's center of fear and anxiety, whose activity is dampened during sex. The solution: antidepressants, which made sex less pleasurable for the affected patients, but also reduced the postcoital "crash." [NYT]

• Women taking antidepressants and experiencing a hard time achieving orgasm as a side effect of the medication may benefit from taking Viagra.

• "Grammar Girl" is out to get rid of bad grammar. • A former Muslim sex slave who was targeted for her ethnicity when Serbs attacked tells her heartbreaking story to CNN. • Southern New Hampshire towns are reporting an increase in domestic abuse calls and arrests, which police says is linked to the poor economy. • A self-instructional program on reproductive health and sex-education for teen girls with diabetes will help them understand the risks of unplanned pregnancy while diabetic. • Inflation, high security at hotels and popular venues, and traffic jams have made weddings a real bummer in Sri Lanka. • A weak baby dolphin that was caught in Japanese fishermen's nets has regained its ability to swim after being outfitted with a special lifejacket. • Meet Rampa Rattanarithikul, a Thai mosquito scientist who has researched and collected mosquitoes for 50 years. • Two dogs that were allegedly trained to have sex with their female owner have been accepted into a no-kill animal sanctuary in Utah. • Cute puppy news! Look at this newborn french bulldog set to Chopin. (Image via She Cards.)

After a certain point, the marginal utility of extra money on a micro level is going to be almost nil because you'll just be keeping up with the Joneses and buying more crap and remaking yourself to try and externally approximate happiness or what you looked like when you were happy once without actually doing anything about being happy. It holds true on a macro-level, too. But, because this is marginally an article about economics, the economist in me would like to point out that there are government policies (other than increasing GDP) that can make a difference in a country's subjective happiness levels "such as maintaining stable families and friendly communities, reducing joblessness, providing adequate health care, and guaranteeing more personal freedom." But we don't like to do that because we're a nation of bootstrappers and DIYers and we're not a welfare state so, hooray for increasing GDP and getting ourselves happy on our own.

By the way, on a completely unrelated note, Americans spent more than the GDP of Bolivia on plastic surgery last year alone ($13.2 billion). In a more unrelated note, sales of antidepressents in 2006 in the U.S. were $20.6 billion. I'm not sure that our plans to find happiness in money or consumption are working, but whatever. I'm sure Priscilla can tell us. She looks happy enough.

Happiness Is ... [Portfolio]
Americans Putting Up The Dough For Plastic Surgery [Houston Chronicle]

Earlier: Are You Sick Of Ladies On TV Looking Jacked Up?

They're also over-prescribed by a health care system that's in bed with big pharma. Eli Lilly, the makers of Prozac, were accused earlier this year of suppressing a third of the drug trials they performed in order to win FDA approval. From the New York Times report, it sounds like some of Lilly's original trials had results similar to the University of Hull: "In published trials, about 60 percent of people taking the drugs report significant relief from depression, compared with roughly 40 percent of those on placebo pills. But when the less positive, unpublished trials are included, the advantage shrinks: the drugs outperform placebos, but by a modest margin."

According to Dr. Paul Keedwell, of the Institute of Psychiatry in London, the fact that Prozac might not work is a good thing, because depression only makes you stronger. "In its severe form [depression] is terrible and life-threatening, but for many it is a short-term painful episode that can take you out of a stressful situation for a while, according to Keedwell. "It can help people to find a new way of coping with events or your situation, and give you a new perspective, as well as making you more realistic about your aims."

Again, a resounding No shit. Being happy all the time is not only impossible, but dreadfully boring and creatively stifling. There is a range of human emotions that we're all meant to feel. Dealing with post-modern malaise will, for most of us, be a life-long struggle, and severe depression (as anyone who has ever experienced it knows) is a different animal entirely. So to conclude, Prozac doesn't work for everyone, it's normal to be depressed sometimes, and big pharmaceutical companies are filled with crooks and liars. Call me when they discover that Prozac makes you grow a second vagina.

[Image via AdBusters.]

Anti-Depressants 'Of Little Use' [BBC News]
Depression Makes Sufferers Stronger' [Telegraph]
Researchers Find A Bias Toward Upbeat Findings On Antidepressants [New York Times]

Earlier: What's The Difference Between A "Real" Depressive And A "Lazy" Pill Freak?
In Defense Of Depression

(Oh yes, and related, Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson's second movie The One Percent apparently debuts tonight, not that anyone thought to invite little old yours truly.) Anyway, I think Francesca should get off her high horse and get into ADD drugs. Lesley thinks Francesca should get a fun roommate and go to therapy. No seriously, I think Francesca should probably allow her depression to fester a little longer, get a job waiting tables because it's the quickest way to transfer feelings of self-loathing to others, and come to my house one day and answer all the calls I get from telemarketers, thus prompting the terrible cycle of realization: "Wow, a lot of people have to work in telemarketing for a living," followed by "Wow, I bet they thought telemarketing was bad until they all got replaced by computers." Then I'll sell you some ADD drugs and you'll be on the path to recovery.

"Being Rich Is Ruining My Life" [Telegraph_

No one likes to think we're prey to the shameless "Talk to your doctor!" come-ons of the advertising industry. We like to think we are too smart for that. We like to think we make rational purchasing decisions borne of a thorough survey of all the available options — or that at the very least, we are creatures of our own innate needs and desires. I can only assume that this is why a lot of you got so defensive when I joked that fibromyalgia was a "vague pharmaceutical industry invented malady." A few of you turn out to have fibromyalgia — and "restless leg syndrome", and whatever else I treated with my signature careless disdain. I'm sorry guys; I made my point less thoughtfully than I maybe should have. We all have health problems. But right now the most highly -capitalized, influential and consumer-savvy source of all that we know and learn about those problems — the developers of the drugs, the sponsors and publishers of their studies, the sources of continuing education to your doctors — is the pharmaceutical industry, and the pharmaceutical industry exists to convince us that our problems are "syndromes" necessitating a pill you take once a day. Ever wondered why the industry doesn't seem to develop anything you can take once and be done with it? Yeah, well. Ever wondered who that cute guy in the suit with the briefcase sitting outside your shrink's office at lunchtime was? Yeah, don't ask him out, he's definitely a player and he's probably a recreational Cialis user on top of that.

Anyway, apologies to everyone out there who is suffering from something. Just hatin' on the game, so to speak. If I spoke that way. Whatever.

Antidepressants Under Scrutiny Over Efficacy [WSJ]

Whoa, whoa wait. Back. It. Up. I've never experienced any sexual side effects, so I decided to do a little research to see if her stats held water. And just by doing a quick Google search, I found several articles refuting that 70 percent statistic. Take this article from the Harvard School of Public Health, which summarizes several studies on the sexual side effects of SSRI users and reports that the highest percentage of sexual side effects in any of the studies is 34%. (Strangely, the fear-mongering subhead of the Psychology Today article, "How SSRIs Wreak Havoc On Courtship", is just as misleading, as the article itself notes that a diligent shrink will work with a patient to find the right combination of meds that you know, doesn't clit-block an orgasm.)

But could I be calling bullshit on this study prematurely? Perhaps! So I'd like to see how the medicated Jezzies out there stack up to Psychology Today's statistics. Take our poll below, won't you?
I can't wait to hear what you pillheads are experiencing.

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Sex, Love, and SSRIs [Psychology Today]
My Boyfriend is on Zoloft [Psychology Today]
The Power of Love [Psychology Today]

• Apparently, many men are still following that archaic, women-as-property tradition of asking their future-father-in-laws for "permission' to marry their girlfriends. Something tells us Amy Winehouse's partner-in-crack-addiction, Blake Fielder-Civil, did not. [Salon]
  
• Researchers have discovered that a low-fat diet cuts your risk of developing ovarian cancer. Unfortunately the benefits only start to kick in after four years of depriving yourself of all the delicious things in life. [MSNBC]
  
• Antidepressants cool hot flashes? Awesome. That means we have an excuse to take happy drugs 4Eva! [NY Times]

• Give your grandma a hug! Experts say that post-menopausal women across the world actually do much of the work in society and in some cases, anthropologists find that 60-year old women are just as physically-strong as 20-year olds. [Salon]
• More women are blasting off into outer space than ever before. You know what must suck? Taking off that huge spacesuit in order to change your tampon. [CBS News]
• CBS' Early Show did a segment on how families can afford to have a stay-at-home parent, since 70 percent of those polled thought it was the best lifestyle for couples with kids. Of course, the show focused on mom staying home. Ugh. [CBS News]
• A French woman was overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing a $2 million painting and planted a big wet one on the canvas, leaving a lipstick mark. She said the red smooch made the painting better. Ha-ha, that bitch is crazy but sort of awesome! [Reuters]

To summarize: sometimes people feel bad because life lacks fulfillment and getting dumped sucks a lot and antidepressants will probably help you with that although you should wait awhile before you take them, preferably until that point when you are mainly depressed because you are still so fucking depressed, and what the fuck is wrong with you already — yeah, that's when even the most conservative shrink will cough up a scrip. Some people gain weight and lose their desire to fuck, whereas some people do not, and generally the people who feel the best on the pills keep taking them, whereas the people who feel a little iffy about them stop. You're not supposed to drink on antidepressants and we're just going to act like nobody does even though everybody does, and in any event, pills will only help you in the event that you concurrently waste a shitload of money on therapy.

I think I'm depressed that I actually just wasted Adderall reading that.

• Former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss and born-again goth writer Anne Rice are coming out to support Hillary Clinton for President. Heidi, who was turned away from a recent Clinton rally, says, "Any woman who's smart, how can you not be [a fan of Hillary]?" Something tells us that Rice, who has traded in writing vampire fiction for some Born Again crap, is not getting into any Hillary fundraisers either. [Las Vegas Review Journal]
  
• The immigration activist who sought refuge in a Chicago Church in order to remain with her son in the United States was arrested and deported back to Mexico this weekend. Apparently, family values don't apply to brown people. [NY Times]
  
• A British woman has claimed the record for oldest woman to give birth, at the age of 59. Funny thing is, she waited ten years to mention it. [Guardian]

• Scrawny models might not be the only thing to blame for anorexia. A recent survey found that 20% of eating disorder patients could be described as having a brain disorder on the autism spectrum. Like we needed a scientific study to tell us that Mary Kate Olsen is a little off — the whole "boho" thing confirmed that months ago. [Telegraph]
• Venice's first female gondolier is calling out her male counterparts for ripping off customers and destroying tradition. Actually, being rowed around Venice was ruined as a romantic activity the minute The Bachelor got it's dirty, grubby paws on it. [Telegraph]
• Proof that Minnesota is indeed a civilized place! The state just enacted a new law that would make it possible for family-planning organizations to purchase birth control in bulk through cooperative purchasing agreements, a move that will result in cutting the cost of birth control to the public by 50%. Convenient, considering the only thing to do in the middle of winter in Minnesota is fuck. [Feminist Daily News Wire]
• Non-stick cookware could result in low birth weights. So how are pregnant women expected to make the perfect pickle, goat cheese, and peanut butter omelet now? [Babble]
• Fuck the paranoia. Taking anti-depressants during pregnancy might not be so dangerous. [Babble]
• As we've pointed out a number of times, the anti-choice movement has been given too much power in spinning abortion research to support their wiggity-wack agenda. Women's Health News has a fabulous summary of some of their doozies. [Women's Health News]
• Sometimes we feel really pissed off about the country we live in, and rightfully so, but the story of this Kurdish woman makes us feel very grateful that we live in a place where at least you won't get stoned to death by a mob of men in front of police officers who sit back and do nothing and oh yeah someone films it and now it's on the fucking internet. [Feministe]
• Analyzing the analysis of Hillary Clinton's wardrobe in major news articles that, generally, have nothing to do with what she's wearing — fair, so long as we remember to mention how sexy John Edwards' $400 haircut is. [Star Tribune]

• Cosmetic surgery is being marketed as just another luxury purchase for women to add to their collection of Louis Vuitton luggage, Hermes scarfs, and Manolo Blahnik stilettos. Just look at Courtney Love — does that woman scream "chic" or what? [NY Times]
  
• Young, hip NY couples are bonding in the boxing ring. No fair! When we hit our boyfriend he said we were crazy and needed to go to intensive therapy. That's not very fun. [NY Times]
  
• Over 2,000 convicted sex offenders are violating Jessica's Law by living too close to parks and schools and are being told by law enforcement that they need to move. Um, how is it that 2,000 registered dirty, nasty sex offenders are able to fly under the radar like that? Does anyone do their job well in this world, besides us? [LA Times]

• Taking anti-depressants during pregnancy increases the risk of pre-term birth. If that fact gives you the blues, reach for Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby instead, okay? [Reuters]
• Camel cigarettes marketed towards women using pink packaging (so fun!), flower-laden ads, and the super femme slogan "Light & Luscious" are being blasted by women's health groups. Personally, our girlishness is tickled by the promise of a raspy truck driver's vocal chords. Sexy! [AP]
• A major health group in New Zealand is offering lower income men and women free long-term birth control options like vasectomies and IUD insertions in hopes of curbing rising abortion rates. Women's health groups, however, are concerned about pushing the IUD Mirena, which has negative side effects like bleeding and depression. [New Zealand Herald]
• We love it when cold hard facts throw a wrench in the Anti-Choicer's rhetoric. A new study says that taking the abortion pill doesn't increase a woman's chances of tubal pregnancy or miscarriage down the road. Which reminds us — does anyone else remember that Days of Our Lives storyline where Mimi couldn't get pregnant again because God was punishing her body for having an abortion? That really pissed us off. [CNN]
• Thanks to an oversight in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, colleges and univertisies are no longer getting deep discounts on birth control. A pack of pills which used to cost students on a budget anywhere from $3 to $10 now is in the $30 to $50 range. Ugh, wouldn't it be a pain to tote a Baby Bjorn and Yak Pak to Chemistry 101? [Time Magazine]
• GPS! GPS! GPS! The tracking device that both scares and delights us, helped track down a married man who killed his 12-year old babysitter. The GPS device will not be needed to know that sicko is going straight to Hell. [LA Times]
• A former piano teacher is being arraigned for molesting his female students, who were between the ages of 8 and 9. Seriously, the only thing ickier than a male piano teacher is a male gynocologist. Blech. [LA Times]
• A legal immigrant is facing deportation back to Mexico because he lived with a 16 year old girl when he was 20. Oh my god, maybe this is how we can finally get rid of Wilmer Valderama once and for all! [SF Gate]
• Goddamn, do we love a crack head or what? A woman called the cops when she discovered some crack rock she just bought and attempted to smoke was totally bunk. Whitney Houston, you're so silly! [SF Gate]