This Thursday comes with a disclaimer

1) These days almost everything comes with a disclaimer. Sometimes the disclaimer on TV commercials is longer than the description of the product itself. If you came with your own personal disclaimer, what would it say?
"WARNING: This woman might cause temporary or permanent insanity in all people she comes in contact with. Mood swings may worsen with time. Sexual frustration should be expected. Relationship may shave years off your life"

2) You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?
I want to say my abusive ex-husband, but I want to be able to violently torture him for a while like he did me before I actually hit the button and make him explode

3) Last week the Federal Drug Administration approved new packaging for cigarette packs that it hopes will discourage people from smoking. Some of the labels are very graphic. Do you think this is going too far or do you think the FDA is doing a good thing by making these labels?
I think cigarettes should be banned altogether. I think they should be outlawed. I can say that because I used to smoke and I still crave them sometimes. I think these labels are a start, but I doubt it will stop anyone from smoking. They wouldn't stop me from smoking if I was still doing it

4) Many people I've known have lost their TV remotes only to find them later in their freezers or refrigerators. Where is the weirdest place you've left your TV remote?
My dad was infamous for losing the remotes. He used to leave them in the fridge or freezer at least once a week. He'd leave them in the restroom sometimes. Occasionally he'd accidentally leave the house with the remote in his pocket and would leave it at his workplace. Me? The weirdest place I've lost mine is between the parts of my sectional couch. It took forever to figure out that's where it went

5) What is something you do when you're sad/depressed that really cheers you up (or at least helps bring you somewhat out of your funk)? 
I go to a pet store and play with puppies for 30 minutes or so. It's hard to stay sad/depressed when you have a super cute puppy kissing you all over your face

6) If I asked your past romantic partners if you were emotionally open, what would they say about you?
I like to claim I'm always emotionally open, but when it comes to being in a relationship, I have a severely hard time being open with my emotions with my partner

7) Sonic Drive-In has created a bunch of theme hot dogs for the summer (including a Chicago Dog, an All-American Dog, Baja Dog, New York Dog, and Chili Cheese Coney). With the Fourth of July coming up, surely many people will be eating hot dogs. What toppings do you eat on top of your hot dog?
I'm all about the chili, cheese, and ketchup. I don't think anything else really fits on my hot dogs. I really don't understand the pickles or peppers on some of those hot dogs

8) If Love Potion #9 is an elixir for love, what is your potion for moving on and dating again after a bad breakup?
A little Mountain Dew mixed with hard lemonade... sexy music/dancing at a nightclub.... and some casual sex with someone you'll never see again


9) You have been given the opportunity to create a TV show of your own design -- any genre, any demographic, limitless budget. What is it called and what's the premise?
I've always wanted to create a show called "Dollar Store Decorating." I've seen shows that do room makeovers on a budget, but I've never seen one that  specifies that all your items have to come from dollar stores (or 99 cent stores. I've heard those exist somewhere, just not here). Dollar Tree often has some kick ass home decor items that all cost just $1. I think it would be a neat show

10) Last week a 14-year-old female Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix named Yoda won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog Contest. Do you think she's really the world's ugliest dog or do you find some cuteness in her? (You can click the photo and make it bigger if you really want to.)
I think she is pretty damn ugly, but somehow she's cute too. I don't understand it. Honestly my dog Pearlz is uglier when she is angry and goes into her psycho bitch mode.  I don't understand why they do this contest at all. Why celebrate ugly animals? I don't get it. You don't see "Miss Ugly America" pageants, so why a "World's Ugliest Dog Contest?"

Whatcha wearing this Wednesday?

1) I keep hearing about some cell phone game called "Angry Birds." I've never played it, but I do know what it's like to deal with angry birds in my office's parking garage. Those things will viciously dive at your head. What do you think makes birds so angry?
 I think birds are just evil. Anything that can't control when it poops is messed up

2) You've been asked to house-sit for someone (a friend, coworker, family member, whomever else it may be). Do you go snooping throughout the house or do you totally respect their privacy?
I would go snooping like crazy, and if I found anything interesting/incriminating, I'd take photos for evidence. You never know when you'll need something to blackmail someone with

3) You turn on the news on your television and see the home you grew up in (or spent a large chuck of your childhood in) going down in flames. Are you sad that the house is on fire or happy that the house will no longer be standing?
I'd be happy, but first I'd call my mom to see if she started the fire before I'd do much celebrating

4) Do you eat Oreos by taking them apart and licking out the cream first or do you bite right in? Do you dunk them in milk?
I like cookies 'n' creme ice cream, which is normally made with Oreos or Oreo-like cookies, but I don't like eating Oreos themselves. I'm weird like that

5) Have you ever had to call 911 (or whatever emergency system your town has if you don't have 911)? If so, what for?
I used to call 911 so much during my marriage to report my ex-husband for abusing me and/or stalking, that I was on a first-name basis with the cops in my neighborhood

6) You and your significant other are out on a date at a fancy restaurant. The waitress brings your bill, and it's $75, but you notice that the waitress forgot to add the $16 dessert that you ordered to the bill. Do you go ahead and just pay the $75 or be honest and say that she forgot to add in the dessert?
I just pay the $75. I don't mind getting stuff for free

7) Are you a "fix-it-yourself" or a "call-somebody-to-fix-it" type of person?
I'm a "wait until something totally falls apart to call someone to fix it" type of person

8) HeroBuilders.com, a company that produces many political themed dolls has released now-ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner dolls -- one has anatomically correct genitals while the other has the freakish no-genitals look. Both are dressed in a gym shirt and shorts with a label that reads "Tweet This." If a company made a doll in your likeness, would you want it to be anatomically correct or not?
I'd want to be anatomically correct, but I'd be very critical of the parts they put on me. I'd be like "That's not what my butt cheeks look like" and "My nipples aren't shaped like that"

9) If you found an unmarked suitcase full of cash in the middle of the street, what would you do?
I'd grab it and run

10) It's the middle of the night and you start getting text messages from an unknown number. The first says, "Hey sexy. Im thinkin about you. Whatcha wearin?" When you don't respond, several texts follow. Do you 1) shut off your phone, 2) text back saying they have the wrong number, or 3) play along for a bit and screw with the person?
I like to mess with people who do this kind of thing. I will start harassing the person back basically to waste their text messages. I always hope that they only get 200 texts a month or something, and that I make them go over their limit and really have to pay for bugging me

Aurora Sky - Keeping Me Alive

I just heard a song titled "Keeping Me Alive" by an Oklahoma City band named Aurora Sky. I've never heard of them, but I'm sure that's just cause they're local. This song really spoke to me. I felt compelled to share it with you all.

Since it's a local band, I couldn't find a real video or lyrics online, but there's an audio clip below that I found on someone's YouTube. I typed up the four lines that spoke to me the most and the chorus (I'm too lazy to type it all up):

Distorted thoughts in front of me impairing my ability.

I can't decide who I should be.

Should I give up or should I never give up fighting?

I'm lost in almost every way. It makes me want to go insane.

Chorus:
Sometimes I try
Sometimes I die
Sometimes it's the little thing that's killing me
Sometimes I fall
Sometimes I crawl
Sometimes it's the only thing keeping me alive

Two borderline poems

I wrote these little poems in the middle of the night last night to explain how I am feeling when it comes to how bad the borderline is right now.


"Who?"

Am I me?
Am I her?
Am I who you want me to be?
I can barely remember
Who I am supposed to be today.
I'm here.
She's here.
But who's in charge?
Who is it that everyone
Is supposed to see?
It surely isn't really me.
She's better.
I am worse.
I want to be her.
She wants to overtake me.
Why am I fighting?
Why am I trapping her inside?
If I let her out,
Will I get lost inside?
Will I be better with her outside?
Two people,
One body,
One shattered mind.


"Trapped"

Trapped inside
Screaming to get out

Shattered reflection
Dying from inside out

Broken images
Haunting in my mind

Scared girl
Trying to be kind

Bloody razor
Tearing through skin

Painful tears
Revealing my secret sins

Health Tip: Avoid Unnecessary Eating

Don't use food as a 'pick-me-up'

By HealthDay

Eating when you're not hungry, or simply bored, can make those unnecessary calories add up. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mentions these common cues that may trigger "mindless" eating:

• Seeing your favorite snacks in the pantry or cabinet.
• Watching TV.
• Sitting near a vending machine at work.
• Having a stressful meeting.
• Feeling tired or bored, and looking for food as a "pick-me-up."
• Having no plan for making dinner when you get home from work.
• Going through a drive-thru food or coffee line each day.

Love yourself to shake drugs or addictions

By McClatchy-Tribune News Service

Are you becoming a slave to pills, alcohol or pot?

What many people don't understand is that sensitive, kind and caring people are more likely to become hooked on painkillers, narcotics or any type of “feel good” substances.

“I've been a psychologist for 20 years,” says Mark, a friend of ours. “People who are aggressive and harsh don't seem to be as susceptible to going down the drug road.”

Those who abuse substances are typically more sensitive to their surroundings and to other people's opinions, Mark declares.

“Think of artists, writers and musicians, for example,” says Mark. “They open themselves up to absorbing life. I know many who are better at their respective crafts because they are open to deeper thoughts, feelings, beauty. But, they can feel the sting of criticism very deeply.”

It's important to toughen up by learning to think wisely. Whatever is digging into your soul — prompting you to numb the pain — is probably a series of bad thoughts and experiences.

Changing means you've got to get a new perspective on how you talk to yourself.

“I have so many patients who had a nitwit uncle or a loudmouth father who kept telling them what a zero they were,” says Mark. “I help my patients brag on themselves and build themselves up.”

If you need to stop deadening your pain to lost love, hurt from childhood, or crazy thinking you impose upon yourself, try a different approach. Start listening to what you tell yourself.

“No one can interfere with your positive self-talk,” Mark emphasizes. “Make the changes inside your own head and watch how fast you start to heal. I would encourage you to get into a recovery program, too, of course.”

Try these exercises to change your inner dialogue:

• Start talking positively to yourself. Do this all day long until it becomes a habit. Tell yourself, “I will find a job. I will kick these drugs.”
• Let go of the past. Release all people and pain who've hurt you. Live in the moment to start a new inner dialogue. Keep telling yourself you can live a healthy life.
• Act in a winning way. If you walk like a winner, talk like a winner and behave like a winner, you will start to attract the right people into your life.

“Your conversation with others and yourself will shape your entire life,” says Mark.

People addicted to alcohol, spending money, food, or whatever are usually sensitive people with a basket full of pain, according to a woman in recovery we'll call Angie.

“I found out under my counselor's guidance that addicts numb themselves to avoid pain they can't talk about,” Angie emphasizes. “When you change your inner dialogue, you can talk about the pain, too. You don't have to pretend life is a bed of roses.”

Angie had been raped by her father and three brothers before the age of 12. “I've had to work hard to keep myself sane,” says Angie. “But, I focus on the fact I am a good and worthy person.”

She goes on to say that she's kicked drugs and cigarettes. “I talk about my pain with a counselor twice a month. I don't need to cover up the pain anymore,” she points out.

“Brand new conversation, new activities and new friends will make you feel you're getting a new start,” Angie declares. “The voice inside your head, if it's upbeat and kind, is the most powerful drug on earth. It's free, and no one can take it away from you.”

After gastric bypass, some battle new addictions

By The Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla. — Andrew Kahn thought after he got his weight under control, his problems would be over. Instead, he, like many gastric-bypass-surgery patients, traded his food addiction for an alcohol habit.

“Drinking for me became like eating used to be — instant satisfaction,” said the 60-year-old resident of southern Florida. “But I eventually realized food and alcohol were cover for me not taking responsibility for my problems.”

Swapping one addiction for another is common among gastric-bypass patients, who struggle more than the general population with issues of addiction.

Marty Lerner, a psychologist and clinical director of Milestones in Recovery, a residential-eating-disorders program in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sees many patients who've transferred their food addictions to other substances or behaviors.

“Alcohol and drug dependencies are the most common,” he said, “followed by compulsive shopping and sex addiction.” In every case, people are substituting one form of self-medication for another.

“All addictions are about fixing how one feels,” said Lerner. “Changing the nature of the addiction does not change the nature of the person.”

So far the most-studied of these transferred addictions is alcoholism.

Patients who undergo gastric-bypass surgery are four times more likely to require inpatient care for alcohol abuse than the general population, according to a study presented last month at the Digestive Disease conference in Chicago.

The study, which followed 12,277 bariatric surgery patients over 25 years, also found that gastric-bypass patients were more at risk for abusing alcohol than those who had restrictive procedures, such as banding.

The reasons for the addiction transference are both psychological and physical, say experts.

Because gastric-bypass surgery causes food and drink to move past the stomach and directly into the small intestine, alcohol hits patients faster, said Magdalena Plecka Ostlund, lead researcher on the study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

“The alcohol enters the small intestine rapidly, which results in a high and quick peak of alcohol in the blood,” she said.

“Some don't like that effect, but some like it a lot,” said Dr. James Mitchell, chairman of neuropsychiatry at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and a researcher involved in a bariatric study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

“Bariatric-surgery patients have a two to three times greater chance of moving onto another substance addiction,” estimated Mitchell. “This isn't a huge problem, but the population is definitely at increased risk.”

The other driver is mental. “When you take away someone's primary addiction, in this case food, they often need to build their world around something else,” said Mitchell.

For Sue Jacobsen of Long Island, N.Y., that something else was alcohol.

Like Kahn, Jacobsen considered herself a light, social drinker before her gastric bypass in 2004. “I remember asking the doctor whether I would be able to drink after surgery. He said, ‘Yes, but you need to know it will hit you harder.“’

Did it ever. Jacobsen, a 47-year-old, 5-foot-8-inch, public-relations consultant who quickly went from 275 pounds to 167, had her first cocktail three months after her surgery. That was the brink of a slippery slope.

She started drinking more, and within a year was drinking often with friends. “When I did, I would get blitzed.”

Soon she couldn't go a day without drinking. Blackouts were common. “I'd wake up and have mud on my clothes and calls on my cellphone I didn't remember making.”

She went to her first 12-step program in September 2006, and has been sober and attending meetings ever since.

“I'm happy with my weight today,” said Jacobsen, “but I paid quite a price.”

For Kahn, post-surgical depression also played a role in his turning to alcohol. Within a year of his 2003 surgery, he went from 367 pounds to 180 on his 5-foot-7-inch frame. He joined a gym, and in 2005 ran a marathon.

But the excess skin that sagged from his belly like an apron depressed him. Like many patients who lose a lot of weight, Kahn's skin didn't shrink with the rest of him. “It just hangs there. I hate looking at it,” he said.

Though his insurance covered his weight-loss surgery, in 2008 the company declined to pay for the skin-reduction surgery, which is considered cosmetic. And Kahn couldn't afford the $10,000.

That's when he started drinking. “My finances were bad, I couldn't do anything about the extra skin, which depressed me, and vodka would tell me everything was OK.”

Though he wasn't much of a drinker before his surgery, and he hadn't had any alcohol for five years since the procedure, that changed.

“If I had one to two drinks, I could get very stoned very quickly.” Soon one to two drinks became five to seven miniature bottles of vodka. He started drinking in the morning, and often woke up shaking. “Drinking made me boisterous and destructive,” he said. “My wife was furious with me.”

Last August, he checked himself into a detox clinic.

Still, experts agree, the benefits of the gastric procedure — eliminating diabetes, reducing high blood pressure and heart disease and curing sleep apnea — greatly outweigh the risks.

“The increased risk for alcoholism after gastric bypass should be balanced against the many positive health effects of the surgery and weight loss,” said Ostlund. “Surgeons have to advise patients to consume alcohol with care.”

Before he operates, Dr. Raul Rosenthal, a bariatric surgeon in Fort Lauderdale, says he puts patients through a psychological exam to be sure they can withstand the adjustment.

“We look at their alcohol and tobacco use, and other addictive behaviors,” he said. “It's important for patients considering the procedure to be told that the risk exists, and that if they had a tendency to drink before, they will need to be very careful.”

Jacobsen, who is working to conquer two more addictions, seconds that. “I'm a smoker and a Diet Coke fanatic,” she said, adding that she drinks three, 44-ounce Super Big Gulps a day.

“The Diet Coke addiction is the next to go,” she said, “but at least I can't get pulled over for that.”

Post secret favorites of the week

Unconscious Mutterings

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Familiar :: Faces
2. Park :: Behind the lines
3. Bank balance :: Not enough
4. Ducks :: Pond
5. Relationship :: Prison
6. Ruminate :: Questions
7. Humanity :: Evil
8. Baking soda :: Foamy
9. Angela :: My So-Called Life
10. Bastards :: Should die

Final random questions

Sunday Stealing: The Seriously Random Question Meme, Part 3 (The Final Edition)

41. Who was the last person you went shopping with?
My boyfriend

42. What is something you need to go shopping for?
Groceries

43. Do you have the same first name as one of your relatives?
Despite my name being Jennifer and really common, I can't think of any relatives that have the same name

44. What kind of car do your parents drive?
No clue what my father is driving these days and frankly don't care. My mom and brother share a SUV of some sort

45. Are you rich?
I wish

46. If you could spend one intimate night with a celebrity, no questions asked, never to see them again, who would it be?
Ryan Reynolds, but I'd want to see him again. I don't think that's far to make it where I'd never get to see him again

48. What famous person do you look like? Feel free to use this facial match program by clicking here. Show us at least the celeb photo.
That says I look like Piper Perabo. I don't agree

49. What is the most daring thing you've done recently?
Eat my boyfriend's cooking..... mostly kidding, but sorta serious

50. Say you were given a pregnancy test right now. Would you pass or fail?
Well since I haven't had sex in over 2 years, I would assume it would be negative. If it was positive, it would be the longest damn gestation period

51. Which sex scandal of the last decade bothers you the most?
I suppose I should say they all bother me

52. Do you know anyone in jail/prison?
I did know someone in prison for drug trafficking, but he got out

53. What are your plans (or what have you done) for this weekend?
Work, work, and more work

54. Have you ever woken up and not known where you were?
No

55. What were you doing at midnight last night??
Work

56. Last restaurant you went to?
Taco Bell

57. How many hours did you sleep for last night?
5 hours or so

58. Which is more distracting: Sexting while driving or sex while driving?
LOL. I'd have to say sex 

59. Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
I'd say it's a good bet that my boyfriend is

60. Have you ever changed your clothes while in a vehicle?
Yes. I figured most people had

Have you checked out my new meme that posts random questions on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays yet? If not, come check it out. Click here.

I hate being borderline

No matter how hard I try to fight my urges to give into the borderline personality disorder tendencies, I seem to be screwing up something somehow. I swear no matter what I do, the borderline is still there. Some days it's worse than others. Tonight, it's bad. Last night, it was bad. I just want peace in my head. I want to stop screwing things up. I hate being borderline

Make You Feel My Love

Saturday 9: Make You Feel My Love

1. What has someone done unusual to make you feel their love?
My boyfriend bought me a big bulk package of Fiber One bars as part of my Valentine's Day present. It was weird, but I love those bars

2. Do you own a smart phone? If yes, is it everything you wanted? If no, how seriously have you considered a purchase of the new smart phone? 
My phone does about all the same things as a smartphone, but it's not really labeled as a smartphone. It's a pretty blue Pantech Impact. I'm pretty happy with it. The only thing I can't do on it that I really wish I could is open PDF files

3. Have you ever camped out to purchase something? 
Nope, and I don't plan to ever do it

4. What is your worst habit? 
Never cleaning my house until someone is coming to visit

5. What is your best habit? 
I think it would have to be the fact that I'm a really caring friend who will help my friends and family members however I can

6. In your opinion, what is life's greatest mystery? 
What dogs think about when they stare at you

7. Are you one of those people who is constantly busy with projects, social outings, etc. or do you just like to lay low and stay home? 
I'd rather stay home and sleep

8. Whether you're busy all the time or like to just chill, have you always been that way? 
It changes as I go through my bipolar phases. If I'm in a manic phase, I'm normally busy with stuff. If I'm not manic, I normally just want to lay around doing nothing

9. Is there something you'd like to change about how you spend your time? If so, what is it? If not, why not? 
I'd like to not be so lazy

Have you checked out my new meme that posts random questions on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays yet? If not, come check it out. Click here.

Some small risks to antidepressants in pregnancy

By Reuters

Two antidepressants appear to be associated with a small risk of birth defects, according to a new analysis based on national data from Finland.

Specifically, the researchers found that women taking fluoxetine (Prozac) and paroxetine (Paxil) were slightly more likely to give birth to babies with specific types of heart defects.

But these results do not mean the drugs are never safe in pregnancy, cautioned study author Dr. Heli Malm.

The study does not show that the drugs themselves caused the birth defects, for one, and any risk - if it exists - would be small: affecting just 105 out of 10,000 babies born to mothers taking fluoxetine, and 31 out of 10,000 babies from mothers taking paroxetine.

Still, fluoxetine, paroxetine, and similar types of antidepressants - known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- "should only be used during pregnancy when clearly indicated," Malm told Reuters Health. "However, when clearly indicated, they seem to be relatively safe."

Consequently, there may be some instances in which it's safer for women with depression to stay on the drugs during their pregnancy, said Malm, based at the Teratology Information Service in the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Finland. "The absolute risk for the specific cardiac malformations is small and ensuring the mother's well-being is important."

Between 3 and 6 percent of women take SSRIs during pregnancy, raising concerns over whether these drugs pose risks to the baby.

The data have so far been somewhat conflicting, although some studies have already linked SSRIs to higher-than-average, though small, risks of certain birth defects. One study of nearly half a million Danish children found an increased risk of heart defects among those whose mothers had used SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac), but also sertraline (Zoloft) and citalopram (Celexa).

Last year, a study among 12,700 U.S. infants found that mothers who used bupropion (Wellbutrin) during early pregnancy had more than double the risk of heart defects known as left outflow tract defects, compared with infants whose mothers had not used the drug.

During the latest study, Malm and her colleagues reviewed national data collected about 635,583 births that occurred between 1996 and 2006.

They found that mothers who took fluoxetine during early pregnancy were more likely to give birth to babies with isolated ventricular septal defects, in which they have a hole between the left and right sides of the heart. Babies whose mothers took paroxetine in early pregnancy were more likely to be born with right ventricular outflow tract defects, which affect the flow of blood from the heart's right chambers to the rest of the body.

Specifically, among 10,000 babies born to women who didn't take SSRIs, 7 developed a right ventricular outflow tract defect. But among the same number of babies born to women taking paroxetine, 31 had the heart defect.

For fluoxetine, 105 out of 10,000 exposed babies developed isolated ventricular septal defects, which were diagnosed in only 49 of 10,000 unexposed babies.

There also appeared to be a slight increased risk of neural tube defects among babies exposed to SSRIs - 22 out of 10,000 exposed babies were born with the defect, versus only 9 out of 10,000 babies born to moms who didn't take SSRIs.

Babies born to mothers taking the antidepressants were also significantly more likely to have disorders related to alcohol, the authors report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology. "The only explanation to this finding is that alcohol consumption is more abundant among women using SSRIs," said Malm. "This may result from psychiatric problems."

Even if certain antidepressants pose risks during pregnancy, so might untreated depression, noted Dr. Mette Norgaard at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, who reviewed the findings for Reuters Health.

"To the best of my knowledge no studies have examined how untreated depression will affect the fetus and the maternal health during pregnancy and most likely it is not safe to have an untreated depression," the researcher said in an email. "I would recommend women who are taking SSRIs and are already pregnant or are planning to become pregnant to talk to their doctor on how they should continue treatment."

One caution, added Norgaard, is that women taking SSRIs may be "in closer contact with the healthcare system," making it easier for doctors to diagnose mild malformations in their babies. "It is thus possible that more infants whose mothers used SSRIs are diagnosed with milder forms of congenital malformations that will remain undetected or become detected later in life in unexposed infants."

Study Finds 'Inconsistent' Care for Pregnant Women With Depression

By HealthDay

Pregnant women with depression receive inconsistent treatment and, as a result, may spend more time in the hospital before their babies are born, a new study finds.

Researchers followed 20 health care providers at six Michigan clinics and found a lack of uniformity in treating pregnant women with depression. Often, health care providers felt burdened by the responsibility of needing to make instant decisions about issues, and there was great variation in those decisions -- even within the same clinic.

"There was no system-level support for providers. They felt as if they were making decisions out on an island," principal investigator Dr. Christie Palladino, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Georgia Health Sciences University, said in a university news release.

In addition, many of the providers were uncomfortable talking about depression with both patients and mental health care providers.

All these factors combined may explain why fewer than half of pregnant women with depression receive treatment for the mental health disorder, Palladino and colleagues said.

The study appears in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.

In a prior study, Palladino found that pregnant women with depression have much longer hospital stays (more than 24 hours prior to delivery) than pregnant women without depression.

"That's a long time for an otherwise healthy woman to be in the hospital before going into labor," Palladino said. "It has serious consequences for the mother, for the family and for the hospital system in terms of time and cost."

I've decided Facebook is totally evil

I'm getting really annoyed at Facebook. Of course, not annoyed enough to actually stop using it, but it makes me mad.

One day a while back, I logged in and it "suggested" my father as a potential friend. I can see that I guess because we have the same last name on there and the same hometown, but we have no mutual friends which is normally how Facebook seems to find possible friends. Anyways, I really didn't care to see my dad's face show up in the right column on Facebook.

Then last week it suggested an ex-boyfriend only two hours after he created a profile. I also don't have any mutual friends with him. We're not from the same town. We have nothing in common on there as far as I could tell, but somehow it suggested him to me just hours after he joined. I hit the X to get rid of the suggestion, but that didn't work because every page I went to, he showed up again and again. I don't get it. Apparently he's now engaged to someone, which I didn't know until Facebook threw him in my face.

I found out that another ex-boyfriend got married when I was on Facebook one day. He wasn't on my friends list either but our one mutual friend posted something about the wedding on his wall so I saw the message.

I don't even have to try cyber-stalking my ex's because Facebook is just throwing them in my face.

I don't want to get back together with either of those ex-boyfriends. I'm very happy with the man I'm getting married to, but I really want all the ex's from my past to suffer for the rest of their lives. Is it really too much to ask that they spend the rest of their lives pining away for me??? (That's mostly a joke, but partially what I want. You know how that goes.)

The other night a man who works for the same company as me started IM'ing me through Facebook chat. I've never actually talked to him in person, but he added me as a friend a while back just because all the other people in his department was doing it. Anyways, I can't figure out what the conversation the other night was about. It wasn't exactly flirty, but it wasn't really innocent either. He had some sort of motive that I can't figure out. He started asking me weird questions and told me that I needed to tell him what's in my heart. (HUH???) And he somehow got me talking about really personal things from my past that I don't know why I told him. Frankly, I'm confused by it. I think I will be avoiding him for the time being.

On a somewhat related note, I know a guy who "checks-in" on Facebook all the time. Everywhere he goes he does a "check-in" through Foursquare. I seriously mean everywhere. He does it when he leaves home in the morning to go to work, when he goes to lunch during work, when he gets back to work after lunch, when he leaves work to go back home, and anytime he goes anywhere else. I could so go rob his house any time I want because I can always tell when he's not home. He is so stupid. Why would you want people to know where you are every second of every day?

Edited to add: I should've said that guy who uses foursquare like crazy isn't even on my friend's list, so that means his wall is totally public and everyone can see where he is at all times. That means, of course, anyone who wanted to rob him could know when he's not at home