The Mental Side Effects of Steroids

Steroid usage affects not only the body but the mind as well. The mental effects of using the drug can be just as dangerous and even more serious than the side effects that are physical. There is a lot of emphasis on the physical changes associated with steroid usage, and the mental aspects of the drug use is often overlooked.

Psychosis
Psychosis is a break with reality. The steroid user doesn't feel connected with the real world and is instead living and thinking in his own world. In this reality he is all-powerful, invincible and capable of anything. It is in the psychosis state that the violence associated with "roid rage" comes into play. When the power or strength of the steroid user is challenged he will do what he can to defend his honor. The steroid user may not even understand or know what he is doing.

Depression
Depression is a common side effect and can be so severe that it even leads to suicide. Steroid users often use other drugs to combat the many side effects that accompany the use of steroids, like depression. Insomnia is a common side effect, so the steroid user may abuse sleeping pills. Knowing that she is abusing a drug can then lead to depression, which can just deepen the cycle of drug abuse.

Mania
Mania is a feeling of complete euphoria similar to psychosis. During a manic state the user may feel as though he is high. He may also be prone to violence and rash, impulsive decisions. This can negatively effect the social life of the steroid abuser, which can lead once again to depression and abuse of other drugs. In the manic stage, the steroid user may become extremely paranoid about anything and everything. He may feel challenged when no challenge is present. This can lead to violence and loss of social relationships.

Anabolic Steroids may Affect Future Mental Health

The main conclusion of a new study on elite male strength athletes finds that there is a link between use of anabolic-androgenic steroids and reduced mental health later in life. Twenty per cent of the subjects in the study admitted steroid use.

The study is published by CERA, which is the University of Gothenburg's centre for education and research on addiction. Together with colleagues from Sahlgrenska University Hospital, they found a connection between abuse of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and mental health problems many years later.

The study included almost 700 former Swedish wrestlers, weightlifters, powerlifters and throwers who competed at the elite level sometime between 1960 and 1979. Twenty per cent of them admitted using steroids during their active careers. The purpose of the study was to look for links between AAS use and mental problems.

'We found a clear link. AAS users were more likely to have been treated for depression, concentration problems and aggressive behaviour,' says Claudia Fahlke, director at CERA.

The researchers also found that AAS users were more likely to have abused other illicit drugs and alcohol. However, it remains unclear whether the steroid use actually caused the mental health problems or the mental health problems rather caused the steroid use.

'What we were able to show, though, is that psychiatric symptoms and use of steroids and other drugs tend to reinforce each other in a vicious cycle. This suggests that the anti-doping efforts remain very important, both in and outside of sports,' says Fahlke.