The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), sold under trade names such as Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa, must carry a warning that their use in adolescents may pose a risk by leading to an increase in suicidal thoughts. Although many young people have benefited from the use of SSRIs, there also are indications that these drugs can lead to self-destructive behavior in young adults. It is important to know how and why the FDA reached the decision to add an advisory warning to prescription antidepressant drugs; but first the causes of depression and how SSRIs work to alleviate it must be examined. One could say that it all begins with serotonin, a mood-regulating neurotransmitter. Defined as substances that carry neural impulses across a synapse (a space between two neurons), neurotransmitters are essential to the electrochemical transmission of messages through the nervous system and within the brain. Insufficient amo...
A teen heartthrob's popularity is often fleeting as the idols and their fans grow older. Justin Timberlake seemed to understand this better than most. Not content to rest on his laurels as the front man of a hugely popular "boy band," Timberlake successfully transformed himself into an appealing entertainer for adult audiences. Justin Randall Timberlake spent his early years in Memphis, Tennessee. When Justin was seven years old, his parents divorced. He moved with his mother to Orlando, Florida. For as long as anyone in his family can remember, Timberlake was an entertainer, always singing, dancing, and telling jokes. As a child, he considered holidays largely an opportunity to perform before a bigger-than-usual audience. As he grew older, Timberlake practiced singing by mimicking songs on the radio. He learned to dance by watching MTV. After the move to Orlando, he entered every talent contest he could. He won many of them, including one that challenged contes...
For much of his career, Arnold Schwarzenegger was known as a champion bodybuilder, a movie star, and a successful businessman. Then in 2003, he took on a new career—politics. Schwarzenegger was elected governor of California. He served as governor until 2011. Born in Austria, Schwarzenegger moved to the United States in 1968. He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin–Superior in 1979. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1983. As a bodybuilder, he won 13 championships; his titles included Mr. Universe, Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World. His leading role in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron brought him to Hollywood's attention. It also helped to popularize bodybuilding competitions. Schwarzenegger soon became a top box-office attraction. He made his mark as an action star in Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Terminator (1984), Predator (1987), and Total Recall (1990). He also displayed a talent for comedy in Twins (1988), Kindergarten...