G. I. Joe: The Cause Of Muscle Dysmorphia

Your discussion resonated with me. When I was in high school, magazines like Sports Illustrated and Muscle Fitness was all the rage. Almost every boy in school enjoyed and idolized the people in those magazines because of the machismo projected in the articles. I was no exception; much like you I have always been active and frequent the gym on a regular. However after high school I joined the navy and now had a source of income. With this perception of how the male body should look, I turned to supplement to aid in the process. At one point I even turned to illegal means but backed out due to the navy’s drug testing policy. Even though at the time I far exceed any of the navy’s physical fitness standards. I still saw myself, as being below

Attention Getter: (PowerPoint image) When we see someone extremely muscular, we wonder is the person using steroids?

Today’s modern bodybuilders opposed to the bodybuilders of the sixties and seventies look like they have evolved from some enormous inhuman creature with amazing genes. Looking at the average size and body fat percentages of old school bodybuilders they weighed somewhere between one hundred and eighty to two hundred and twenty pounds. Now if you compare that to today’s bodybuilders weighing in at somewhere between two hundred fifty and three hundred pounds it makes you think what the heck

Attention Getter: (PowerPoint image) When we see someone extremely muscular, we wonder is the person using steroids?

Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) can change the person’s social behaviors, such as their sexual satiety when they are adolescence and could also make them have aggressive behaviors. This is more likely to happen in an adolescent brain because it is more susceptible than adult brains. (Montalto, Salas-Ramirez, Sisk, 2010). Aggression is also the most reported side effects of the use of steroids in adults and teenagers. Those that used AAS were most likely to be aggressive and act in violent ways when those who were not. This is what the name “roid rage” comes from. (Lumia, McGinnis, 2010). The use in steroid use has increased dramatically in recent years with males. It is mostly used among adolescent males aging from as young as 11 to gain body mass and strength for completive sports. Using of this drug can serve life-long consequences and be permanent. (Lumia,

Many of these individuals, also face the challenges of these pointless standards. Lorber states, “These differences are socially meaningless until social practices transform them into social facts.” Lorber is talking mostly about the standards set on gender in today’s society. Any gendered person is as equal as another, until society decides that they are not. Humans, especially weightlifters, are always trying to fit in with society's standards. Weightlifting men ”grew up idolizing Arnold [Schwarzenegger, former body champion and Governor of California]” Arnold set the standards to many of these modern day steroid users. These social standards, seem to be a major factor in the steroid use by middle aged men. These steroid users, are abusing their bodies to get a feeling of self accomplishment by society’s

athletes, professional cyclists, American baseball players, and even racehorses have tested positive for AAS. However, AAS are no longer the exclusive province of elite athletes. Among school seniors in the United States (18 years of age), the lifetime incidence for steroid use (4.0%) is comparable to that for crack cocaine (3.6%) or heroin (1.8%). Today, it is estimated that over 3million people may have used AAS” (Wood 227). Athletes have used Anabolic Steroids for years in bodybuilding as well as recently in baseball. Anabolic steroids affect the body by making it easier to build muscle mass, but by doing so also affect items like ones heart and reproductive system. “Abuse of anabolic steroids to induce skeletal muscle hypertrophy is widespread amongst

One of the most-treasured items a person can have is their health. Consequently, a great deal of money is spent on healthcare on account of people want to be healthy to do the things they enjoy in life. In the article “Steroid Abuse in Today’s Society,” states “There is increasing concern regarding possible serious health problems that are associated with the abuse of steroids, including both short-term and long-term side effects.” ("Steroid Abuse in Today's Society" 3). Unfortunately, there are side effects that will accompany someone who takes steroids. For women and men, steroids can cause masculinizing effects. These symptoms can cause fertility problems in both genders. Fortunately, by stopping the use of drugs can cause a shift in changing men’s health for the better, but for women the symptoms may never go away. Studies have not concluded the long-term effects of steroids, but in the worst cases, death can occur. Performance enhancement drugs are dangerous to an athlete’s

The use of steroids by athletes to gain muscle mass is rapid and effective. Each individual user makes a decision based on the activity they participate. Some athletes desire to jump higher, others to run faster, or to throw the farthest and hit home runs, yet others desire to bench the highest weight possible; and football players want to improve on lean body mass and have a comparative edge, whether in high school, collage, or the pros. Andrew Rensik, of 9BNEWS reports that, "national statistics show that as much as ten percent of high school athletes are involved in steroids" (9NEWS.com). A university of Michigan report by the Monitoring Future Study puts steroid use at 4 percent in 2002, up from 25 percent in 2000. In 1992 71 percent of high school seniors felt that steroid use wasn't worth risking their health, that number dropped to 51 percent in 2002 (www.nsba.org, Ron Kriochic, Mitch Stephens). "Peak rates of annual use occurred in 2002 and 2004 for 12th graders (2.5 percent), in 2000 and 2002 for 10th graders (2.2 percent). Eighth graders reported significant decrease in lifetime and annual steroid use in 2004, as well as a decrease in perceived availability of steroid drugs. A significant decrease was also measured among 10th graders for 2004" (Infofacts 2).

Women have basically the same reaction to the drug as men do. After long periods of steroid use, a common reaction is the loss of the individuals hair along with the deepening of their voice, permanently. Along with these reactions, body hair and facial hair also start to grow and darken. According to Dr. Yealis, a professor of health and human development at Pennsylvania State University, and a leading expert in steroid use, "these drugs can change a women into a man in not very big doses at all (Mongale 12)." This is a very scary thought. Both males and females "stack" steroids. This means that they use multiple steroids at a time. The common perception among users is if you use a variety, then you take less of each one. They already take ten to a hundred times the recommended amount. In researching this topic, I found that many users do not seem to see themselves as addicted. According to a recent poll of 49 weight lifters, 28 would be considered addicted. Another study done by Robert J. Dimfell, Donald A. Malone and John Lombardo showed "of 163 weight lifters who worked out more than 6 hours a day, there were 88 abstainers, 31 current users, and 44 past users (Bower 11)." They reported that 18% of the past users and 13% of the current users reported that they had a dependency. Malon commented "We're not sure if current users are more likely to deny these problems (Brower 12)." The three researchers had a list of

Steroids is abused by a range of athletes and students. “In a 2002 National Institute of Drug Abuse study, 2.5% of 8th graders, 2.5% of 10th graders, and 4% of 12th graders admitted to using steroids at some time.” (Steroid Abuse Moves Into the Scholastic Arena, 2008) Steroids abuse is not only found in athletes but also those who struggle with body image.

To address this issue the researchers evaluated three groups of male weight lifters. Men with no history of steroid use, non-dependence of steroid use and men who meet DSM IV criteria for steroid dependence. Participants lifestyles and demographic were analyzed and it was found that nondependent steroid users showed no significant differences from AAS nonusers on any variables assed. Dependent users did show a frequent history of conduct disorder. From the research, it was concluded that Men with AAS dependence, unlike nondependent AAS users or AAS nonusers, showed a distinctive pattern of comorbid psychopathology, overlapping with that of individuals with other form of substance dependence. The strength of the article is the descriptive details throughout the study. Due to the population that the article addresses this article is unique. The relevance to the field of psychology is understanding the impact of dependence steroids have on the user. Aggression, strength and size are often welcome effects of steroids, what people don’t know is the unwelcome side effects such as depression, decreased libido, increased risks of heart attacks. Understanding the effects of steroid might help researchers understand the cognitive side of steroids in the user.

Typically a girl is under pressure to lose weight and become thinner, while a boy is under pressure to gain the weight and be more buff and muscular. Another study has revealed that the behavior of muscle-enhancing is more often happening between the boys in middle and high school. The need to look that specific way causes adolescent boys to consume a high unhealthy number of powder protein, steroids, and other muscle-enhancing substances. Just like the need to look that way, the consummation of muscle-enhancers have negative effects; such as anger and rage attacks, suicidal tendencies, depression, and heart problems. In a survey, it has been revealed that about 20% of men and over 40% of women would consider having cosmetic surgery in the

The media pushes the agenda that men should be either strapping and muscular of smart and skinny. A boy can either be Superman or Spencer Reid. In the last fifteen years, media and marketing have pushed forward the idea that men who are strong need a broad chest and shoulders (Cruz). Men with eating disorders often use steroids to obtain the big, defined muscles they want. Time magazine mentioned the widening chests of modern superheroes as an example of the ever increasing body demands on men (Heid).

Bigorexia as know as muscle dysmorphia and both have definitions. Bigorexia is defined as “a mental disorder characterized by a normal person´s obsession with an imagined defect in physical appearance; also called muscle dysmorphia” and muscle dysmorphia is defined as “a mental disorder primarily affecting males, characterized by obsessions about a perceived lack of muscularity, leading to compulsive exercising, use of anabolic steroids, etc.” in dictionary.com.