The Psychological Effects of Anabolic Steroids

Use of anabolic steroids has for some time been widespread among competitive sportsmen and women, who selfadminister doses of up to 100 times the recommended therapeutic dose, and use combinations of multiple oral and injectable preparations (a practice known as'stacking'). Often these are preparations intended for veterinary use, or of questionable origin, purity or authenticity. They are taken in 'cycles'of 6-12 weeks. Given the rewards of success in sport, it is almost understandable that competitive athletes should resort to drug use, despite the potential risks of adverse cardiovascular, endocrine and hepatic effects. It is more difficult to comprehend that most recent epidemiological evidence indicates that the use of anabolic steroids is increasing, and is spreading from competitive to non-competitive, recreational sport and exercise. In 1987 it was estimated that one million Americans were using anabolic steroids to improve their physique. Since then, several surveys have confirmed the spread of use of these drugs amongyoung people. In one 1988 survey of 3403 male highschool students from across the USA the rate of current or previous anabolic steroid use was nearly 7% (Buckley et al., 1988). In another, over a thousandmale students in three American colleges were surveyed, and 2% reported anabolic steroid use (Pope et al., 1988). In a third survey of over a thousand high school students conducted the following year, 3% of students (5.0% of males, 1.4% of females) reported anabolic steroid use (Windsor and Dumitru, 1989).