by Brandon A. Perry, Indianapolis Recorder

(NNPA)--Popular Soul Train host Don Cornelius, influential hip-hop manager Chris Lighty and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher had different lines of work.

What they had in common, however, is one startling fact: This year they all lost their lives in a way that many believed was once uncommon among African-Americans. They took their own lives through suicide.

Don Cornelius is seen at the 9th Annual BET Awards on June 28, 2009, in Los Angeles. The “Soul Train” creator was found dead at his Sherman Oaks on home Wednesday morning. (AP Photo/File)

Their shocking deaths raised awareness about the impact of depression and other forms of mental distress on the Black community.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nicole Ari Parker was motivated by frustration. For Star Jones, it was a matter of life or death. Toni Carey wanted a fresh start after a bad breakup.

All three have launched individual campaigns that reflect an emerging priority for African-American women: finding creative ways to combat the obesity epidemic that threatens their longevity.

AMAZING TRANSFORMATION--This combo image from Feb. 5, 2005 in Los Angeles, left, and Feb. 15, 2012 in New York, right, shows TV personality Star Jones. (AP Photos, File)

by Susan Perlman, PhD

This month’s issue on brain development in childhood and adolescence is a continuation of the monthly series started last year, focusing on health disparities in the Pittsburgh region. The series is a partnership among the New Pittsburgh Courier, Community PARTners (a core service of the University of Pittsburgh’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute—CTSI) and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh. Susan Perlman, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry at Pitt, sat down with Esther L. Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League, to talk about this month’s topic.

ESTHER BUSH

Many parents look at their teenagers and ask themselves, “What happened to the sweet child we once knew?” They are now hard to communicate with and always want to be out with their friends. In many ways, teenagers seem able to make reasonable decisions. But, the next thing you know, they and their friends have gone to the wrong place at the wrong time and made some surprising decisions.

Results from a functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) study showing brain activity in children, teens, and adults while they play a game where they are asked to not look at a light that appears suddenly on a computer screen. Adults are better at this game than teens and teens are better than children as parts of the brain that are in charge of controlling behavior have better function.

This is normal adolescence. Adolescence is a period of life when changes happen throughout the body that affect the way teens interact with the world. Hormones are racing. They affect what motivates teenagers’ behaviors. During this time, the brain changes a lot. This causes teens to act in ways they find engaging and motivating.