Abstract:
This project used literary journalistic techniques to explore people's
struggles and hardships related to the acne drug, Accutane. Accutane has not been
scientifically proven to cause psychological problems, but anecdotal and empirical
evidence suggest that there may be a causal relationship. Parent's profiled in this
project believe Accutane was the cause of their child's drastic mood swings and
dramatic changes in behavior. This narrative nonfiction project chronicled the
experiences of two teenagers whose lives were significantly altered after taking the
drug Accutane. The story used secondary research and in-depth interviews to
examine the impact of the acne drug on the teens, their families, and friends. The
creative project also discussed how the families are coping with the behavior
changes of their loved ones.