The XX Factor : depression

Dark Ceiling Without a Star

Dana Stevens — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 16:24:00 GMT

Meghan, thank you for writing something about the death of Nicholas Hughes , the son of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes who killed himself earlier this week at the age of 47. I've been unsettled by this news all week but unable to think of anything to say...(read more)

Do Family-Owned Businesses Do Better on the Recession-o-Meter?

Eve Fairbanks — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Jessica , it doesn't surprise me that tailors are getting rich these days. Last weekend, I was perusing the Bureau of Economic Analysis' quarterly data on Personal Consumption Expenditures by Type of Product (don't judge, it's a more amusing pastime than...(read more)

Introducing the Lipstick Level: A Recession-o-Meter

Jessica Grose — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:00:00 GMT

At the early end of the current economic downturn, the New Yor k Times published an article about how lipstick is a potential economic indicator . The theory is that in times of fiscal woe, women won't be able to afford that $200 frock, but they'll splurge...(read more)

Free Britney

Sophie Gilbert — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:08:00 GMT

Susannah , Like you, I watched the Britney documentary on MTV. What really bothered me wasn't Britney's mental state (at times she was sparkling, charming, hilarious — performing send-ups of her father that sent her entourage into stitches) but the way...(read more)

Mom Made Me Crazy

Emily Yoffe — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:53:00 GMT

There was a fascinating story in the NYT science section yesterday that I didn't fully understand. It presents a new genetic theory of major mental illness as being caused by a battle between the father's sperm and the mother's egg. The idea is that in...(read more)