Although it seems difficult to believe, psychiatric journals never used to enjoy the same popularity as they do now. They were seen in much the same way as most other journals are viewed today; they had very specialist readership, consisting mainly of scientists.

Now, the journal 'Psychiatry' has a circulation that far exceeds The Times; it is as common a sight in the home as a telephone, or a frying pan. Of course, this is the result of no passing fashion, but rather it is a further testiment to the inspired genius of Doctor Beard.

When the Doctor was first being recognised as an almost 'Rock and Roll' type figure in society, many young people became curious as to his work. They wanted to learn about it in more depth; they wished to venture beyond the tantalising tidbits of knowledge revealed in interviews with the Doctor on programmes such as Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, and Parkinson.

The following uptake of the journal by the public was something akin to a revolution. It was like a playground fad which never stopped. It spread rapidly from teenagers to parents, from parents to co-workers. In just one year, the journal was regularly bought by 87% of the population of Britain.

Whilst the content of the journal remains highly scientific, the publishers helped to spur this growth with free givaways. They regularly rode on the back of Doctor Beards success; often attaching free fake beards to the cover, or CDs with a tracklist chosen by the Doctor himself.

Now, there are many different versions of the journal. They all contain the same scientific content, but the different editions are designed to appeal to different audiences. The edition aimed at males in their twenties is called 'Psychiatry: For Men Who Should Know Better' and always sports a photo of a highly attractive psychotic on the front cover. The edition aimed at teenage girls is more specific, opting for pictures of the Doctor in various heroic poses. It also contains an additional section on Psychogenomics, which as we all know is a favourite among young female teens.

Unfortunately, the journal is biweekly; which has caused an enourmous waste problem due to the fact that its circulation is so huge. This is beginning to be rectified, however, with the recent introduction of the 'Compulsorary Recycling of Medical Journals' act by parliment. An interesting side effect of this is that people are starting to recycle more general waste products as they become used to the process; leading us to a slightly more healthy planet. Indeed, the deforestation of rainforests has been noticably slowed, especially as the journal begins to catch on in larger territories such as North America and China.

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