Evaluation of Psychiatric Disorders among Athletes who Abuse Anabolic Steroids

Objectives The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the psychiatric disorders among athletes who abuse anabolic steroids. Method In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 59 Kermanian athletes were randomly se-lected and assigned to three separate groups. They were assessed by SCL-90-R and compared with one another. Group one was composed of athletes with no prior history of anabolic ste-roids abuse; group two comprised athletes with current abuse of this substance, and group 3 included athletes who had abused the substance in the past but not currently. Findings The point prevalence of all psychiatric disorders assessed for the three study groups were 60.97%, 78.48%, and 43.35% respectively. The scores of all scales except for phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and psychosis scales were higher among group two than the other groups. Results Unauthorized usage of anabolic steroids as a method of doping can be harmful with possible unpleasant psychological consequences ensued.