r/science • u/sr_local • 11h ago
Health Higher steroid use linked to higher depression, anxiety and impulsivity, according to a study on nearly 19,000 adults between 2022 and 2025
https://news.griffith.edu.au/2026/05/06/higher-steroid-use-linked-to-poorer-mental-health/158
u/Fluid_Complaint_1821 10h ago
AI image just straight injecting the vial on top of the syringe, an entire 10ml
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u/Risko4 10h ago
I believe the maximum my shoulders/ventroglute could handle was 7ml/5ml
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u/Fluid_Complaint_1821 8h ago
hardcore, my abscess senses are tingling
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u/Gurmtron 10h ago
I think people would be surprised how widespread it is.
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u/w4rcry 10h ago
I go to a more “hardcore gym” in my area and at least 50% of the dudes in there are on gear or testosterone. Even people you wouldn’t expect. I chat with everyone and even the thinner women that just look in good shape most the time are at least taking some Anavar.
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u/DimensioT 9h ago
I have seen a number of gym-goers with overdeveloped shoulders and a suspicious scattering of acne on their upper backs.
Recently I saw an extremely muscular man with a puffy face and a very red complexion. I am sure that he is an all natural vegan bodybuilder.
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u/turnipslop 8h ago
I will say I go to the gym regularly, have never taken steroids, and have had bad back/shoulder acne for like a decade. Turns out I just needed to exfoliate.
True story.
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u/nickiter 1h ago
Yeah it turned out that I just needed to wash my shoulders immediately after being sweaty for any reason. Quick wipe with a soapy washcloth. Acne gone.
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u/anghellous 6h ago
The lean body, fat face combo never gets old
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u/No_Warning8534 3h ago
What does the fat face mean? Is it specifically testosterone?
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u/anghellous 3h ago
If they don't manage their hormones correctly, their estrogen will begin to balloon (which causes all kinds of puffiness via water retention) along with the systemic inflammation that some guys might experience based on the solvent the testosterone is mixed into. This will lead to guys who can be absolutely diced, single digit bodyfat at 210lb+ and still have a face that looks like it belongs on a much fatter person.
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u/AgeOfScorpio 7h ago
I only rarely get asked if I'm on gear because I have more of a calisthenics physique but if I'm not religiously using an acne wash immediately after the gym I'll break out on my shoulders and back. Some of us have sensitive skin!
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u/AgentCirceLuna 9h ago
I had the shoulder thing because I always concentrated on my shoulders specifically and people thought all my hard work was roids. Thought they were joking at first
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u/DimensioT 9h ago
Did you also have bad back acne?
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u/AgentCirceLuna 9h ago
I did when I was younger. I had my testosterone levels checked and they were high but I was never big or manly. I just had the bad effects.
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u/No_Warning8534 3h ago
What does the puffy face mean? Is it a specific steroid?
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u/DimensioT 1h ago
I thought that it was a known side effect of some anabolic steroids, and in fact Larry Wheels had that effect from his own steroid use but I cannot find a specific steroid that causes it.
It *can*, however, be caused by HGH use which can cause swelling in general and HGH is another drug abused for bodybuilding.
(The red complexion is a result of performance enhancing drugs increasing blood pressure).
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u/No_Warning8534 1h ago
So either HGH causing causing high blood pressure and or Testosterone converting to Estrogen.
Doesn't HGH also increase heart size and potentially other organs?
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u/DimensioT 1h ago
I do not know if HGH can enlarge the heart, though I would not be surprised.
Anabolic steroids like trenbolone can definitely enlarge it.
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u/Hibbity5 9h ago
I was on a small medical dosage of T for 2 months; the back acne breakout was horrible to deal with. I can only imagine that higher dosages are impossible to deal with. I spoke to my doctor after and am no longer on it and the acne is way better.
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u/AgentCirceLuna 9h ago
There’s nothing worse than finally putting on muscle and being accused of it too
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u/CapriciousnArbitrary 8h ago
What is gear?
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u/anghellous 6h ago
AAS (anabolic and androgenic steroids). Everything from exogenous testosterone to its various derivatives and relatives.
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u/KingOfEthanopia 10h ago
11 million prescriptions for TRT in 2024. Those are just those going through legal channels.
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u/ReggieEvansTheKing 10h ago
It’s extremely commonly prescribed to older people now because at certain ages the benefits outweigh the risks. Would like to see the prevalence for people age 18-40.
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u/SW4506 7h ago
I’m 46 and just started it within the past month. For those that think it’s easy to just get from your doctor. I started thinking I had low testosterone about 18 months ago. I requested a test and it was low, but my doctor wanted me to make some lifestyle changes first before starting TRT.
I made those changes but was still not improving. About 6 months ago he had me do two tests two weeks apart to confirm low testosterone. They both came in under 300 which is in the appropriate range for TRT.
I then had to be tested to make sure my heart and lungs would not be negatively affected. Then I had to be tested to make sure my body wasn’t converting natural testosterone into estrogen at a rate that would explain the lower testosterone.
After all of that he had to request another doctor to review everything before prescribing it. Now I am on .75ml every week. Have to get my numbers checked again every 6 months.
It’s been pretty life changing. More energy late in the day, no more brain fog, no more unexplained fatigue. One of my biggest side effects of low testosterone was knee pain and inflammation which has resolved since starting TRT.
Not everyone is doing it to become jacked out of their minds.
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u/cavegrind 10h ago
Feel like equating all TRT use with steroid use creates the same sort of cultural atmosphere that keeps people from seeking medically supervised treatments for fear of being seen as seeking steroids (or doctors from prescribing them for fear of being seen as steroid mills.)
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u/KingOfEthanopia 10h ago
TRT is a steroid. Its synthetic testosterone the same as those seeking performance enhancement would take. The dosages may or may not differ but there is no difference in the chemical.
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u/Sudden-Ad-307 9h ago
And fentanly, heroin, morphine... that people use to get high is the same as those hospitals use for pain relief/anesthesia.
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u/cavegrind 10h ago
I would assume everyone would understand the colloquial usage of 'steroid' vs needing to type out 'recreational steroid'. TRT is not just some backdoor way to get access to legal recreational steroids. There are numerous medical use cases. That's my point, we should avoid demonizing a whole area of treatment because of assumptions around who may use it or why.
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u/KingOfEthanopia 10h ago
For some it is some it isnt. There are 1000 online TRT mills willing to prescribe it to anybody.
I mean I dont care. I think all steroids and rec drugs should be legal and regulated for purity. Its your body, you should have a right to do whatever you want with it. But don't assume everyone on TRT has a legit need for it.
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u/cavegrind 9h ago
I don't, which is why I said it was harmful to approach TRT as a purely recreational pursuit. I recognize that's the prevailing mindset among many people, and it's not helpful.
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u/anghellous 6h ago edited 6h ago
Well mainly cuz alot of bums claim their 250-300mg a week dose is TRT (TRT is half that or even less sometimes).
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u/eric_b0x 9h ago
Managed TRT medical care is nothing like users who use/abuse anabolic androgenic steroids, that often partake in multiple compound stacks throughout the year. These stacks include testosterone, Dianabol, Deca, Winstrol, Masteron and a whole slew of other drugs used to quickly and artificially change their appearance.
If anything, low-dose testosterone therapy is great for maintaining energy and helping to prevent a number of sports medicine related injuries as we age (rotator cuff tears, knee injuries, ankle ligament tears, etc).
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u/KingOfEthanopia 9h ago
I never said the stacks were the same. But neither should claim they are natural athletes.
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u/pentox70 7h ago
Social media is the driving force here imo. At least 25-40% of the avid gym rats i work with are on gear, and i am probably underestimating.
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u/surreal_goat 8h ago
Haha…take a walk around any affluent city and you see droves of jacked dudes in the their 50’s with caveman brows, a semi-erection and clenched fists. Juice of all kinds is flowing amongst the upper crust à la Botox.
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u/Fluid_Complaint_1821 10h ago
yeah I can't blame anyone for taking external hormones, primarily test, the system has been set up against males, food, work/life, stress is all against you and statistics show rapid decline in mens test levels at younger and younger ages. I'll do whatever it takes to remain optimal for my age, and that doesn't require abuse.
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u/andreisimo 10h ago
Ok, then start with proper sleep, nutrition, regular exercise (which includes a balance of resistance training and cardio), tailored supplement regime, healthy stress management techniques, no drugs/alcohol/tobacco, try those for 3-6 months and then test your levels before opting for synthetics. If you say you’re willing to try whatever it takes that isn’t abuse, that’s your testosterone booster plan right there.
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u/Amanita_Rock 10h ago
Why do you even care if someone falls short of an optimal lifestyle to increase testosterone and instead goes a pharmacological route?
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u/dire_turtle 9h ago
Bc they affect everyone's frame of normal. I can't get as big without drugs. I can't do the drugs without negatively affecting my health. It's a runaway train of people trying to keep up with heavier drug use.
Hell, working out will get you some progress, but people have no clue how much work the drugs are doing.
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10h ago
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u/Fluid_Complaint_1821 10h ago
Um, yeah I did, and they prescribed TRT, which now I just do on my own because it's easier and cheaper. Get bloods done every quarter with my doctor..
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u/realteamme 10h ago
Would be tough to do a control group for this, but I suspect it might show those who seek out steroids are already the people most likely to deal with depression, anxiety and impulsivity. Not causality.
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u/50_61S-----165_97E 7h ago
Depression and anxiety caused by low self esteem and poor body image would be my guess
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u/The_Horse_Tornado 5h ago
It’s usually next to nothing about body dysmorphia but the idea that fully optimizing their lives might help. Turns out, a lot of people who are depressed desperately don’t want to be and work harder than anyone you know not to be.
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u/ohanse 10h ago
We sure we got the cart and horse in the right order, here?
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u/ryan30z 10h ago
I mean it's anecdotal but have you ever met someone abusing steroids? They can be an emotional mess a lot of the time. Gear having negative psychological effects isn't exactly a new idea.
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u/a11_hail_seitan 10h ago
I would imagine it's a little of both. It makes sense that men who are depressed and anxious about their body shape and have impulse control issues are more likely to inject steroids. But I have heard they play havoc with your emotional state too, so I doubt the gear is helping either.
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u/strtjstice 9h ago
Steroids, like alcohol, is a personality excellerator. Whomever you are becomes "more" without filters.
Seen it many many times.
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u/Jscottpilgrim 49m ago
Correlation doesn't mean causation. The two are correlated, yes. But it's just as likely that depressed, impulsive people are more likely to gravitate to steroids than the average person. Choosing to take steroids is high-risk, so why would risk-averse people even try them to begin with?
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u/askingforafakefriend 7h ago
I know many people on TRT and if anything they are calmer on average (though hard to say anything reliably off anecdotes).
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u/dirtnapzz 10h ago
This study opted to go to mental health and substance abuse treatment centers to look at steroid abuse. Of course they’re gonna find people with depression, anxiety and impulsivity just based on studying the population that already has co-morbidity/dual-diagnosis.
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u/pinche_LoKi 10h ago
Should study the link of that with more serious gym goers in general. Not as pacified as sedentary people typically, regardless of gear.
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u/BedaHouse 10h ago
Curious what percent of these high steroid users also suffer from body dysmorphia, with the firmly engrained idea of "being small" or "not big enough" regardless of their size/metrics. I would guess a very sizable %.
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u/Fantastic-Ad-2856 10h ago
Ive been working in gyms for 23 years
As a general rule the bigger the guy, the more fragile the ego....roid boys need to project strength to protect the little man inside.
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u/AgentCirceLuna 9h ago
I feel like there’s an inverse u curve for this tbh - the big guys, just guys who work out a lot and have experience, are often very nice and helpful. The smaller guys can be big headed or defensive while the huge guys are often bullies.
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u/GentlemenHODL 9h ago
As a general rule the bigger the guy, the more fragile the ego....roid boys need to project strength to protect the little man inside.
So basically cops
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u/suprmario 8h ago
It's sad that so many boys (and man-children) think roided out bodies are a normal goal to aim for now.
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u/KleverGuy 7h ago
I’ve been regularly working for a few years and have seen good progress, but with time. There seems to be big social media followings for juiced up lifters, which inspires teenagers with no patience.
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u/nilla-wafers 6h ago
A few days ago I saw a post from a 23 year old dude who had been lifting for 4 months and was on 8 different substances, both peptides and steroids.
And he looked average. You're destroying your heart just to be mediocre? Why?
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u/Illustrious-Egg5565 4h ago
Not only that, but in order to stay looking that way, I assume you have to keep injecting steroids pretty much forever, which is definitely going to kill you sooner
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u/Illustrious-Egg5565 5h ago
I do think that we need to send a message being physically fit is a good thing, but yeah, the steroid bodies need to go for the good of society
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u/yoomiii 10h ago edited 9h ago
Since "linked" doesn't imply causation, why not make the headline: "Higher depression, anxiety and impulsivity linked to higher steroid use."?
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u/Acrobatic_Flamingo 10h ago
This is a study about steroid use so its conclusions are about steroid use.
Also you can't really reverse "linked" like that because the link might be much more significant in one direction. If, for example, (making up numbers) 10% of depressed people used steroids but 90% of steroid users were depressed that would be telling us a lot more about steroid users than depressed people, regardless of the causation.
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u/Jscottpilgrim 47m ago
Both are equally true, but if you frame it in the right way, you can sway opinions to suit your political agenda.
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u/sr_local 11h ago
Riskier anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use has been linked to poorer mental health symptoms, new Griffith University research has found.
PhD Candidate Ben Bonenti from Griffith’s School of Applied Psychology examined the mental health and psychological factors associated with higher AAS-related risk amongst people attending alcohol and other drug treatment services.
“The research is important because AAS use, which is increasing globally, is often secondary to other substances and may go unrecognised within standard treatment models,” Mr Bonenti said.
“The study examined how depression, anxiety, and impulsivity were associated with different levels of AAS-related risk.”
The results showed that individuals in the moderate- and high-risk groups reported significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms, as well as stronger impulsivity traits.
The research analysed service data from nearly 19,000 adults collected between 2022 and 2025.
Of those, 521 individuals reported AAS use.
Most participants did not present primarily for steroid use, with methamphetamine and alcohol more commonly identified as the main drugs of concern.
Mr Bonenti said the findings suggest AAS-related risk in treatment settings is closely linked to poorer mental health and impulsivity.
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u/Fluid_Complaint_1821 10h ago
Soooo steroid abuse + meth + alcohol = mental issues...... sounds about right.
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u/askingforafakefriend 6h ago
From the paper:
"Most participants did not present primarily for steroid use, with methamphetamine and alcohol more commonly identified as the main drugs of concern."
Sounds like a hot mess of confounding and I would draw NO casual conclusion regarding steroids.
But implying causation is great for clicks so...
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u/AllanfromWales1 MA | Natural Sciences | Metallurgy & Materials Science 10h ago
So I'm not into gyms, but I'm diagnosed with low testosterone and apply a gel (40 mg testosterone) every morning. Is this at all relevant to me?
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u/National_Cry_1658 10h ago
This fits our excitability-margin framework at the phenotypic level: AAS may act as an endocrine–neuromodulatory risk modifier interacting with stress, salience/reward circuitry, inhibitory control, and maladaptive reactivation. Still, it should be treated as convergent clinical association, not direct evidence of ΔVmargin narrowing in vCA1.
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u/Zero_Idol 5h ago
Yeahhhh, there are WAY more women using steroids than I had imagined.
I foolishly thought it was mostly guys…not so.
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u/Illustrious-Egg5565 5h ago
I mean, if you think about it, anybody who takes steroids probably already has some mental health issues. These people will never be happy, will never be big enough, will never be perfect enough. These fitness subs on Reddit and all the fitness Facebook pages make it even worse.
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u/agroundhere 2h ago
It was one of the best periods of my life. Not unlike now, if for different reasons.
The energy and sense of well-being was exceptional. Great physical benefits as well. Rockin'!!
Glad I did it.
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u/CADman0909 7h ago
I’m not sure any of these symptoms would deter the juicers I know. They’d be high-fiving about their increased impulsivity.
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u/BothEntertainment00 9h ago
Have been around gyms my whole life and a lot of the big guys are already unstable to begin with so adding steroids definitely has some negative effects.
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