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Pissed Off and Buffed UpHow long does 'roid rage last?

By Michelle TsaiPosted Thursday, June 28, 2007, at 7:08 PM ET

Chris BenoitA steroids-induced "rage" may have played a role in the murder-suicide case of WWE wrestler Chris Benoit, who killed his wife and son last weekend and then hanged himself by the pulley of his weightlifting machine. Wrestling officials argued that steroids couldn't be the cause of death because Benoit's actions took place over several days, which suggested deliberation instead of rage. How long does 'roid rage last?

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It depends on the 'roid and the person who's using it. Steroids-induced rage takes many forms, but in general, it's characterized by mania, mood swings, impatience, paranoia, and uncontrollable aggression. Sometimes the performance-enhancing drugs also cause psychosis, depression, or suicidal thoughts; other times they actually relieve depression. The specific psychological effects depend on the type of drug, its dosage, and the method of administration, as well as the individual brain chemistry of the user. 'Roid rage can come in short outbursts, cyclical bouts, or a long-lasting period of psychosis. These problems can be temporary, or they can recur for almost a year after a long-lasting oil-based injection.

Related in Slate

Daniel Engber asked why HGH is so hard to detect and how many middle-school girls are on the juice. He also dispelled the growth hormone myth. Brendan I. Koerner investigated how insulin could help Marion Jones, while Josh Levin and Rachael Larimore unearthed athletes' own explanations for failing drug tests. Jeff Pearlman took sportswriters to task for pretending that baseball's steroids era had ended.

Steroid use has been blamed for violence in a number of high-profile deaths. In 2003, Taylor Hooton, a 17-year-old Texan, hanged himself after taking Anadrol and Deca 300. Hooton's parents said that the high-school baseball player became irritable and angry after he started doping, stealing money and punching a rival so hard the wound needed nine stitches. In 1998, a former Mr. Universe named Bertil Fox was convicted for the double murder of his former fiancee and her mother, and bodybuilding couple Craig Titus and Kelly Ryan will soon be on trial for suffocating their assistant.

It's not always easy to sort out what's causing what, however. Some research suggests that people who are prone to steroid abuse are also more susceptible to personality disorders and run-ins with the law. And despite all these stories of violence, the vast majority of steroid users don't seem to suffer any of the effects of 'roid rage. Some studies on aggression and anabolic steroids have found little connection between the two, but other evidence suggests that the high doses taken by athletes can sometimes cause serious psychological changes. (A double-blind, randomized study published in 2000 produced manic episodes in 4 percent of the test subjects.) Conditions might be very different outside of the laboratory, however. For example, athletes often "stack," or take a number of steroids at the same time, which could lead to unpredictable side effects.

Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Antonia Baum of the International Society for Sports Psychiatry, Linn Goldberg of Oregon Health Sciences University, and Gary Wadler of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

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Michelle Tsai is a writer living in Jersey City, N.J.

Photograph of Chris Benoit by Peter Kramer/Getty Images.

COMMENTS

Remarks from the Fray:

What a telling story this Benoit thing has been. All pretenses of reporting facts and treating the story with respect got viciously battered and flushed down the toilet as soon as the police handed over the steroids drum to beat on.

Makes me kind of wish it would be easier to dismiss the vacuous bombastic garbage on cable news by saying, "Well, he does use a tanning bed after all."

Just like big muscles, it's not too hard to see the tell-tale rings around the eyes. Too much sun tends to make people crazy. Too much of anything can prompt a negative outcome...side effects include reading from a teleprompter and jumping to conclusions.

The Explainer didn't really explain anything other than copy/paste gubmint warnings about what steroids might do to a person. It's like another "Shark Week".

--charming_weasel

(To reply, click here.)

I was prescribed steroids to treat an allergic reaction. I thought I was going crazy. I was having homicidal nightmares where I was MURDERING people. I gnashed my teeth all day. I was a teacher at the time and I had to take sick days because I wanted to yell at and hit my students. I couldn't sit still and felt I had to rip something or destroy something. I ended up tearing off all the wallpaper in my apartment. After that, I stopped taking the drugs because I couldn't handle it.

So I don't want to hear that steroids don't make sane people do crazy things. I have never wanted to do violence to another human being except when I was on this drug.

--mishto

(To reply, click here.)

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