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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
On the cycle of PED’s. Performance enhancing drug use increases a person’s levels of energy and motivation, self-esteem and social confidence (CISUR, 2015). It may be useful for an athlete who has reached a slump in their performance, or an ordinary individual who participates in recreational sport to utilise the positive mental effects of performance enhancing drugs to recover from poor self-esteem or the lack of social or athletic confidence. Although performance enhancing substances provide boosts to positive psychological emotions and function, research has indicated that performance enhancing drugs are strongly linked to mental disorders. Performance-enhancing drugs use leads to high risk of post usage anxiety and depression, which can lead to engaging in different illicit substances or harmful behaviours. The two most common psychological disorders that PED users suffer from are depression and anxiety, which are suffered in different ways depending on the user. Athletes have various concerns for performance enhancing drug use, the most notable reason is concern for physical appearance, followed by concern for occupational performance or athletic performance. – (Murray et al., 2016) physical appearance is the biggest reason and influence for PED use amongst athletes. “AAS users who experience physical appearance concerns also experience elevated rates of co-morbid psychological dysfunction, eating disorders and muscle dysmorphia”. – (Murray et al., 2016) both of which are mental disorders. Performance-enhancing substance users have a higher probability of attempting and committing suicide and participating in violent or risky behaviour such as violence and murder. In order to guarantee the safety of the psychological health of professional athletes and recreational athletes, all performance enhancing substances must be banned in sport and awareness of the negative impacts on mental health must be raised to educate potential users of its devastating effects on mental health.ConclusionPerformance enhancing drugs have been used in sport to provide an unfair advantage to its users, has tarnished the reputations of sporting leagues, and disregarded the classic values of sport. The drugs used have resulted in serious physical health problems in long term users that are permanent and irreversible, being the cause of deaths and controversy. The effect on the psychological well-being of athletes who have used PED’s is disturbingly unsafe and can lead to depression and anxiety, which is closely connected to illicit substance abuse, crime and suicide. To preserve the safety of professional athletes and recreational athletes, performance-enhancing drugs should be banned in all sports. detection of use by elite or amateur athletes should be considered a serious crime and awareness should be raised and spread on social media to athletes including teenagers. Works CitedBowers, M. B. (1998). Doping and performance-enhancing drugs. In B. R. Brown (Ed.), Ethical issues in sport (pp. 3-16). Sage Publications.Dixon, K.
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