Suffering in Silence, by Marcy Sugar and Kathy Mitchell

October is Depression Awareness Month — the perfect opportunity to seek help for the first time. If you are worried about yourself or a loved one, please visit HelpYourselfHelpOthers.org to take an anonymous self-assessment for depression. At the website, you will learn more about the illness and available treatment options in your area.

Readers, please visit HelpYourselfHelpOthers.org to learn more.

Dear Annie: I know the younger generation likes to do things the easy way, but where do proper manners end and just plain laziness and the "gimme" attitude begin?

We received a postcard invitation from a newly married couple stating that they could not hold a real housewarming party, so they were inviting us to a virtual housewarming party. The invitation included where they were registered for gifts.

I thought about copying and pasting a photo from the registry and emailing it with a note saying, "Your virtual gift is attached." But I didn't think they would understand that a real gift would not be forthcoming, so I did not respond at all.

Should I have sent a real one? — Thought My Granddaughter Knew Better

Dear Thought: How nice that the couple can't be bothered to entertain anyone or show them their new home (even a virtual tour), but they expect everyone to send presents anyway. We know some people would have done just that, and as a grandmother, you might have chosen to send them a gift for their new home even if they had not had a "housewarming" at all. But we agree that this type of invitation is pretty tacky. And what's more depressing is that your granddaughter is not the only one doing it. But we love your idea of a virtual gift for a virtual housewarming. Maybe if enough people responded that way, these ridiculous invitations would cease.

Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to [email protected], or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. You can also find Annie on Facebook at Facebook.com/AskAnnies. To find out more about Annie's Mailbox and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.