Steroids getting bad press

Editor’s note: The following article was written by Foreign Language Lab Director Robert Martinez, who is studying for his doctorate in clinical psychology. Last in a series.

The Recent Cases. An in-depth exploration of the recent tragedies is not the point of this article nor is it meant to denigrate these young men or deny their families’ grief. However, a brief review of the published material covering the two most publicized cases might be informative about the issue involved. Such a review tends to replicate the findings noted above. 

A Plano youth reportedly “colored his hair and looked twice when he passed a mirror” and ”…was always concerned about his looks.” In combination with a reported desire to be bigger suggests potential body dissatisfaction which is associated with both AAS use and suicide, as a form of “socially-prescribed perfectionism;” He had “low self-esteem,” a family history of depression (mother) and suicide attempt (sister) and was taking antidepressant mediation (Lexapro). [Interestingly, a Mail Tribune (August 10, 2004) headline (Landers, 2004) seemed to echo the parents’ sentiments in these cases, reading “Drug leads to son’s suicide, family says” – but it was actually referring to Lexapro. His AAS use was allegedly motivated by wanting to excel at baseball (numerous sources including father’s testimony), although some sources have suggested it had more to do with personal appearance and status.

If such a case history could truly prove causation, then the brief review above has identified several potential “causes.” But such a “psychological autopsy,” which is commonly used to investigate suicides, cannot show causation. It can suggest that many warning signs can be identified, any one (or combination) of which might be associated with suicide, but none of which can be definitively shown as a cause. In this case, to single out one might reflect other than scientific issues.

Another of the young men (name withheld), was on medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and depression, and, according to friends, engaged in periods of marijuana and alcohol use concurrent with AAS use. His manner of death (gunshot) also suggests risk. His AAS use was also motivated by the desire for a career in baseball (parental testimony), again suggesting body dissatisfaction issues, perhaps externally reinforced. All of these factors, including AAS use, suggest increased risk — to assert that any one of them was a single cause reflects a confirmation bias.

Conclusion
Are steroids getting unwarranted bad press? It is the opinion of this author and many current AAS users that they most certainly are. Some of the blame lies within the users themselves. Valid statistical data is not reliably obtained because of the shroud of secrecy and paranoia that is   associated with its use. (Article part 1 survey; only 2 were submitted) And in a black market-driven culture, there will always exist abusers. AAS abusers are the ones who practice unsafe use and blame reckless choices on the drugs themselves – many times health concerns were preexisting and ignored.