NAMES IN THE NEWS : Many People Need Help: Landers

Ann Landers says “a lot of people need professional help,” including those who write excessively long letters to advice columnists.

The veteran agony aunt said she skimmed through 1,500 letters on a flight Friday from Chicago to Seattle where she spoke to the Northwest Women’s Show.

Letters on old themes, like those from teen-agers asking how to get more attention from a potential mate, can be boring, she admitted. And, naturally, she prefers letters that are reasonably concise.

“Sometimes I’ll get people who write 14 pages or so, but those people are probably psychotic, though,” she said. “I tell them they need professional help. You know, a lot of people need professional help.”

One recurrent theme is whether toilet paper should be hung over the top or down against the wall.

“I’m very compulsive about it,” she said. “The toilet paper needs to be hung down along the wall. I’ll actually rearrange it myself if I’m over at someone’s home and I see it hung over the top.”