An Increase in Steriod use among teenagers?

Muscular male model portrayed in advertisement

Body image issues affect everyone, especially image-conscious teenagers. Influenced by Hollywood movies, celebrities, and fashion magazines, teenagers wish for that perfect body in the media. As a result, teenagers are taking riskier substances to achieve their perfect bodies. In particular, a recent study from the University of Minnesota shows that teenagers are increasingly using illegal substances such as anabolic-androgenic steroids to build muscles and tone their bodies. The main issue with the findings is that the rates are much higher than previously reported.

What is Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids?

Anabolic-androgenic Steroids are usually injected with needles

Anabolic-androgenic steroids are essentially similar to male-sex-hormone testosterone and help to build muscles and promote the development of male sexual characteristics. While doctors may prescribe steroids to men with medical conditions such as anemia or men who do not naturally produce enough testosterone, doctors never prescribe the drug for the purpose of muscle building. Such steroids include andro, oxandrin, dianabol, winstrol, deca-durabolin, and equipoise and are usually injected directly by the user to the muscle to promote muscle growth. The main concern with steroid use is that most users abuse it; most users over use the drug by 10 to 100 times higher than what is recommended by doctors. As a result, steroid users suffer from many side effects, which include hair loss, oily skin, severe mood fluctuation, aggressive behavior, and severe acne. More serious side effects include addiction, shrinking of testicles, an increase in cardiovascular disease, weakened immune system, infertility, liver damage, and prostate cancer.

Negative side effects of Steroids

What is the main concern for Steroid use among teenagers?

Despite these side effects, teenagers are driven to achieve their perfect bodies and are willing to go to extreme lengths. In the study, SPH professors Marla Eisenberg, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, and Melanie Wall, surveyed 2,700 teenagers aged around 14 years and found that 5.9% of boys and 4.6% girls were using steroids; 5 to 10% were using other non-steroid protein substances such as creatine. Steroid use among teenagers is riskier as teenagers are not fully-grown and can cause irreversible damages such as affecting brain cells, prematurely stunted growth, and extreme puberty changes. These high figures show that there is an increase in profound body image problems caused primarily by popular media. Men in advertisements and media have become much more muscular and women have become toner. This directly affects teenagers, who develop body dissatisfaction and body dysmorphia. The researchers clearly indicate their concerns and warn parents, pediatricians, teachers and coaches to look for symptoms of body image issues, which include obsession with exercise, diet, depression, sudden muscle and weight gain, behavioral changes, and aggression.

What is the bottom line?

The bottom line is that steroid abuse causes lasting, irreversible damage to young teenagers and should never be popularized among teens. Parents and pediatricians should emphasize and promote healthier ways to build muscles naturally, in the form of healthy diet, regular exercise, and sports. I would like to end my blog with the following clip of a teenager who experienced firsthand the negative side effects of steroids and his regrets.

Derek Song