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A highly invasive procedure, which involves drilling holes in the skull and inserting electrodes deep inside the brain allowing a pacemaker-style device to deliver pulses of electricity to specific neural regions has failed to show any effectiveness in treating depression despite claims by the media and some prominent scientists.

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Academy Award-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams committed suicide earlier this week. He was an artist that brought joy to millions. He starred in 80 films and over two-dozen television series. Yet few knew of his psychological demons, or about a family legacy steeped in the history of U.S. racism. These could be seen as both troubling and as a spur to creativity. Here are four takes on his life, work, and the tensions that may have informed his creative persona.

Bryan Stevenson: We Need to Talk About Injustice. Leonard Cohen: Democracy Is Coming to the USA. What Does the PISA Report Tell Us About U.S. Education? Chiara de Blasio Tells Her Story. Merry Christmas: No More Unemployment Benefits. President Barack Obama - Drop It Like It's Hot.

Researchers say more than 10,000 suicides and up to a million cases of depression have been diagnosed during what they call the "Great Recession" and its accompanying austerity across Europe and North America.