Steven Ungerleider

About the author: Steven Ungerleider is a clinical psychologist and an adjunct professor at the University of Oregon. He regularly consults with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

In response to social and athletic pressures to build greater strength and muscle, middle school and high school students are increasingly taking anabolic steroids. Steroids allow young athletes to train harder and recover more quickly from long workouts, but they pose numerous health risks to users. Side effects may include heart and liver damage and the premature cessation of bone growth in adolescents, which leads to shortened stature. More research is needed to address the dangerous consequences of adolescent steroid use.

In 1995, in a well-known research project, elite athletes were asked whether they would take a pill that guaranteed an Olympic gold medal if they...