And so when we think about health care, I want to know from you if the things like preexisting conditions and preventive medicine, if they are a symptom of what's going on in our health care system, then what is the problem and how do you address it?

WHITEHOUSE: Online Town Hall

Second, in bipolar disorder the leading symptom is rapidly fluctuating moods independent of what is going on in the environment.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Delivered from Distraction'

When we talk about what caused the housing bubble, speculators flipping homes are considered a symptom, not the cause.

FORBES: A Challenge: Stop Saying 'Speculators'

Study participants indicated which symptom would most concern them, and the groups discussed what could cause each of the symptoms.

MSN: 5 signs of gynecological cancer women ignore

Rather than simply dismissing this phenomenally popular genre as a symptom of civic decay or a cause of electoral apathy, we ought to be asking: what are we laughing at, and why?

NPR: Excerpt: 'Strange Bedfellows'