good in theory; poor in practice

jez responds to a NYT article about a government panel recommending that teens be screened yearly for depression, which is likely part of a yearly physical exam. however, the screening consists of a multiple choice questionnaire. as someone who has been administered this test on occasion, this shit is retarded. the questionnaire reads like it is straight out of Seventeen magazine: "do you feel like sleeping all the time" ; "do you feel like no one understands you"; "do you feel the world would be a better place if you weren't in it". And, for the specific version i took, it was a 1-5 ranking system with 5 being always and 1 being never, taken infront of an individual who was wholly convinced that i WAS infact depressed and that was the cause of my ailments (fun fact: i just had bronchitis and was/am a social inept loser) i am heartened to see an increased interest in the mental health of children and young adults, but without a serious update i don't feel like a multiple choice quiz is really going to delve into the trixy feelings that come with being a teen, young adult, or any one for that matter.

praying for sunrise

E-FUCKING-NOUGH, Twilight nerds! Ok, Twilight, the book cum movie that is spreading throughout teen-dom like the plague has now spawned even more nonsense-ry; most recently a fan crafting, from felt, the teen heroine, Bella's uterus WITH THE FUCKING MUTANT BABY INSIDE. Target women's Sarah Haskins went to the Twilight poster signing and asked the googly eyed girls and their mothers how they would feel if their daughters came home with a drug dealer, murderer, or vampire boyfriend. They all said they'd be totes cool with it, one mother even offering up that she wants 'illegal and immoral' in a relationship. NO NO NO. I am all for fantasy and escapism, but even on my most liberal of days do I take issue with the fairy tale-izing of teen pregnancy and the glorifying of the notion that, with enough love and hard work, you can change the 'bad boy' and make him love you back. Please, raise your hand if this has EVER worked for you. No? Anyone? Bueller? This is the fantasy equivalent of saying, "hey, if I love Kevin Federline hard enough he will clean up his act and be epicly faithful and subservient husband for life!" Lofty hopes, goals, and relationship desires are not bad things for young women to have; they wholly shape how a young woman can take charge of her life and autonomy to become a healthy, happy adult. However, I feel that in a present age where sex-ed consists of 'don't do it' and ABC Family has the series Life of an American Teenager, where the main charachter, pregnant at 15, is able to continue going to school, go home to a loving family, and is not at all having to worry about the financial and social struggles of actual pregnant american girls; there needs to be more reality grounded media for teens to help balance what is becoming a very one-sided fantasy existance.