The sports psychiatrist and performance-enhancing drugs

Drug abuse occurs in all sports and at most levels of competition. Athletic life may lead to drug abuse for a number of reasons, including for performance enhancement, to self-treat otherwise untreated mental illness, and to deal with stressors, such as pressure to perform, injuries, physical pain, and retirement from sport. This review examines the effects of different classes of substances used for doping, side-effects of doping, and treatment of affected athletes. There is variable evidence for the performance-enhancing effects and side-effects of the various substances that are used for doping. Drug abuse in athletes should be addressed with preventive measures, education, motivational interviewing, and, when indicated, pharmacologic interventions.