Health Dept. Tries Reaching Out to Teens With MySpace

Hey teens! Cutting, huffing and BB guns are such a didgeridon't. Know what’s cool? New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: As of today, the department is now one of the cool new people on MySpace, and it’s looking for friends. The actual profile name is NYC Teen Mindspace, and according to deputy commissioner Dr. David Rosin, the goal is to “reach out to young people where they socialize, in a style they can relate to” so they can get help with problems like depression, drugs, and dating violence.

NYC Teen Mindspace already has 118 friends, including The Super, Stalking seXican and X3R0-OF COURSE IM A MANIC DEPRESSIVE YOU STRESS ME. And besides the “real” friends, there are also fictional “composite personalities” who share their problems in videos. Kevin bombs his exam after snorting ground up ADD pills, and Stephanie, “has a brother wtf?” Dr. Myla Harrison, assistant commissioner for child and adolescent services, says the panel of teens who tested the site “didn't really care they were fictional.”