Columnists

ON MENTAL ILLNESS: Addiction

Jack Bragen
Friday June 03, 2016 - 07:57:00 PM

When someone has substance abuse problems on top of a distinct (yet probably interweaved) psychiatric disorder, the term used to describe this is "dual diagnosis." Addiction to a substance is not uncommon for people with psychiatric problems. Also, when mental health practitioners or other authorities are initially trying to discern someone's problem, it can be hard for them to know whether the individual's symptoms come from narcotics versus having a psychiatric disorder. After an individual has more of a history with treatment professionals, those professionals have more data to work with. -more-


DISPATCHES FROM THE EDGE:A Very Brazillian Coup

Conn Hallinan
Friday June 03, 2016 - 01:17:00 PM

On one level, the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff seems like vintage commedia dell’arte: the Lower House speaker who brought the charges, Eduardo Cunha, had to step down because he has $16 million stashed in secret Swiss and U.S. bank accounts. The man who replaced Cunha, Waldir Maranhao, is implicated in corruption around the huge state-owned oil company, Petroblas. The former vice-president and now president, Michel Temer, has been convicted of election fraud, and has also been caught up in the Petroblas investigation. And the president of the Senate, Renan Calheiros, has also been implicated in the oil company scandal and is dodging tax evasion charges. In fact, over half the legislature is currently under investigation for corruption of some kind. -more-


THE PUBLIC EYE: The Hillary Problem

Bob Burnett
Friday June 03, 2016 - 01:09:00 PM

On the cusp of securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton has a problem: a lot of Democrats are unhappy with her campaign.

They have three reasons to be unhappy. First, Clinton’s approval ratings continue to be abysmal. Second, Clinton’s handling of the State Department email flap has left even her most loyal advocates scratching their heads in dismay. And third, most sensible Americans are scared to death of Donald Trump and, therefore, appalled that many recent polls show Clinton and Trump in a statistical dead heat. -more-