Oscar Pistorius and the Inevitable Questions of Anabolic Steroids and Roid Rage

It was inevitable that questions about anabolic steroids and “roid rage” would be raised in the context of Oscar Pistorius’ homicide of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The City Press, a South African Sunday newspaper, was the first to report that police have requested to test Pistorius’ blood for the presence of anabolic steroids and/or other drugs (“Exclusive – The case against Oscar,” February 17, 2013).

“We can further reveal that police specifically requested that Pistorius’ blood be tested for drugs and steroids…

“In anticipation of a possible argument that he experienced “roid rage” – extremely aggressive behaviour associated with taking large doses of steroids – the police insisted that the athlete’s blood be tested for any foreign substances.”

The City Press characterized the testing for steroids as a preemptive action against an attempt at a “dumbbell defense.” The dumbbell defense is the legal strategy of blaming criminal acts on the psychological effects of anabolic steroids. This type of defense is usually rejected as a legitimate excuse absolving a defendant of criminal responsibility.

Within hours, the conversation quickly shifted as the British tabloid The Sun reported that police found anabolic steroids at the home of Pistorius. The tabloid wasted no time blaming steroids for Pistorius’ “explosion of fury” (“Steroids found at Blade Runner’s mansion,” February 18, 2013).

“Banned steroid drugs were found in Oscar Pistorius’s house after he shot dead lover Reeva Steenkamp…”

“Cops are now probing a theory that Pistorius may have blasted Reeva in an explosion of fury caused by the performance-boosting steroids.

“They are investigating whether murder suspect Pistorius was in the grip of “roid rage” — a side-effect of high doses of the outlawed drugs…”

A source close to the investigation said: “Steroid drugs were found at Pistorius’s home together with evidence of heavy drinking. That’s why police have specifically ordered that he be tested for steroids.”

The suggestion that steroids may have been to blame for Pistorius’ brutal murder of his girlfriend did not remain on the pages of tabloid newspapers. The Sun may have been the first but mainstream media generally follows suits when it comes to demonizing steroids with dubious claims of “roid rage.”

The British daily newspaper The Independent jumped on the bandwagon to assert that steroids may have caused the murder (“Police investigate possibility Oscar Pistorius may have killed girlfriend in explosive ‘roid rage’ after reports claim steroids were found in home,” February 18, 2013).

“According to the paper police are now investigating the possibility that Pistorius may have killed his girlfriend in the midst of a so-called ‘roid rage’ – an explosion of aggression and hostility prompted by the use of anabolic steroids.

“Some studies have found that use of certain steroids can cause hypomania and increased aggression.”

The assertion made by The Independent that “certain steroids can cause hypomania and increased aggression” went unreferenced in the “news” article. This was probably with good reason.

Human studies have not conclusively shown a causal relationship between anabolic steroids and aggression. If “roid rage” exists at all, it is a rare occurrence that only affects a small number of steroid users who are predisposed to aggression.

The term “roid rage” is not a scientific term at all. It is a creation of popular culture that is frequently used to demonize steroids. As far as science is concerned, the hypothesis of steroid-induced aggression has been researched extensively. And the research has been largely unsupportive of the hypothesis.

Blaming steroids as the single variable that “caused” such a tragedy undermines attempts to understand the complexity of human behavior. A dispassionate evaluation of the multiple variables involved, including steroids, provides the best opportunity to avert such tragedies in the future.

Unfortunately, there will be no shortage of “news” websites providing sensationalistic stories claiming steroids caused roid rage in Oscar Pistorius:

• Huffington Post UK: “Steroid drugs boost muscle growth by raising levels of testosterone and can cause liver and heart damage – as well as aggressive behaviour known as “roid rage”.”
• Daily Mail UK: “Police are investigating whether Pistorius, nicknamed ‘Blade Runner’, was in the grip of ‘roid rage’ – the side-effect of taking large quantities of the drug – when he pulled the trigger.” + “Oscar Pistorius may have shot dead his girlfriend in a fit of so-called ‘steroid rage’ – an explosion of aggression caused by performance-boosting steroids.”
• Health India.com: “Ever since the mid-80s, the term roid rage has been used to describe one of the most dangerous psychiatric effects of steroid-use that is quite common among bodybuilders and athletes. “

Of course, the sheer number of times that a causal relationship is asserted between steroids and aggression doesn’t make it true. Given the level of demonization of steroids in sports, the general public is predisposed to unquestionably accept the hypothesis that steroids cause “roid rage.”

It is the responsibility of the media to address these claims dispassionately while avoiding sensationalizing a single, tenuous causative factor in such tragedies.

The news media has largely failed in previous high-profile tragic cases involving athletes, domestic violence and the specter of “roid rage”. The role of steroids was sensationalized in the cases of Chris Benoit’s murder of Nancy Benoit née Sullivan and their seven-year old son, Jovan Belcher’s murder of Kasandra Perkins and their three-month old infant and David Jacobs’ murder of Amanda Savell. As a result, we gain little insight into how to prevent such tragedies.

MESO-Rx urges the news media to avoid the temptation to sensationalize the Pistorius- Steenkamp tragedy with stories of “roid rage”. Avoid the steroid hysteria and anti-doping bias so prevalent in society. Instead, focus on the science behind steroids and aggression while investigating every causative factor that may have contributed to this tragedy.

Sensationalized stories blaming steroids may sell more newspapers. But dispassionate stories seeking to explain complex behavior may save lives.

UPDATE February 20, 2013: Police blunder – No steroids found at Oscar Pistorius’ home only mysterious product called Testis Compositum.

About the author

Millard

MESO-Rx | Website

Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.