*      Now that the final report of President George W. Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health has been rendered and the states and regions are beginning to look at ways of implementing its recommendations, one is reminded that in the nation’s history there have been only three such presidential commissions, all in the past 40 years.  Nicholas Cummings, Ph.D. recounts his involvement in all three commissions.

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*      Is there a market for using behavior modification to treat caffeine withdrawal?
       Although most people consider drinking coffee or caffeinated soft drinks a harmless habit, there is evidence from a Johns Hopkins study that for some the use of caffeine can become a drug dependence that interferes with work or causes other life problems.

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*      From January through May 2004, Robert Woody, Ph.D., J.D., professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and an attorney in private practice, devoted full time to going through the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee, Fla. and afterward completed the specialized training to be a School Resource Officer. This accomplishment is especially noteworthy because Woody is 67 years old while the average age of his classmates was 22. In an interview with The National Psychologist, Woody explains his motives and the insights he derived from the experience.