At the age of twelve, Deborah Jiang Stein found a hidden letter that said she was born in prison, to an addicted inmate. What happens next will shock, inspire you.

While I agree the economy stinks, I disagree that casinos actually increase revenues for states during a nationwide depression (okay, recession). The risk of promoting an addictive, expensive pastime is worrisome.

Do certain character traits lead to longevity? Dr. Howard Friedman’s The Longevity Project offers surprising findings.

Some of Therapy Soup’s most controversial and complimented, criticized and commented-on posts from 2011.

The Festival of Lights has special significance for those in recovery.

Are some people more vulnerable to cults thank others? Here’s one person’s take on why she was an easy victim.

“Here was this cute guy who was four years older than me who felt he could confide in me. When he talked I realized he had many of the same questions about life that I had, but unlike me he seemed to have the answers.”

Reba, like so many children today, it seems, has been tested for everything. Various specialists have hazarded guesses, such as autism, autism spectrum, hearing disabled, mute, sensory over-responsivity (SOR), various types of organic brain damage, depression, even schizophrenia at one brief point in time (that was quickly shelved when Reba’s unusual behavior resolved itself every time Isobel and her husband removed Reba from this particular specialist’s office).

Some free-association thanks.

I was bullied for a couple months, in elementary school. My nemesis, Tammy, was about twice my size. She threatened to punch me and I lived in terror that she would. One day she did. I was surprised—it hurt, but the pain wasn’t so bad.