Drudge Suicide Watch

Hard times may be taking a higher psychological toll on politicians and news aggregators than the public. As the Drudge Report hyperventilates about "NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY," a new Washington Post poll finds "a rapid increase in the percentage of Americans who say the economy is improving."

Drudge's excitement is over a new web page by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, "Getting Through Tough Economic Times," that offers advice on recognizing and dealing with the depression and anxiety that can result from financial setbacks, a useful compendium that somehow rates the type size Drudge usually reserves for earthquakes, tsunamis and Democratic scandals.

In the real world, the new Post poll shows that a majority feels that their President is on top of the situation: "Two-thirds of Americans approve of the way Obama is handling the country's top job, and six in 10 give him good marks on issue No. 1, the flagging economy. Those figures are little changed from last month."

The SAMSA guide to getting through, however, may be of particular value to conservatives having a hard time over being out of power in Washington:

"Unemployment and other kinds of financial distress do not 'cause' suicide directly, but they can be factors that interact dynamically within individuals and affect their risk for suicide. These financial factors can cause strong feelings such as humiliation and despair, which can precipitate suicidal thoughts or actions among those who may already be vulnerable to having these feelings because of life-experiences or underlying mental or emotional conditions..."

Members of the Republican National Committee, take note.