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Originally Posted by CyniQ It seems to me their is an extremely strong correlation between teen-suicide and drug use, period. Do the drugs cause the suicide? Or is it more likely that the moods and feelings that lead them to search for solice in narcotics; lead them to suicide when the comfort sought was not found? |
Exactly, there is significnat correlation between drug use, particularly alcohol and suicide. But no one has proven a causal relationship. Anyone who claims otherwise is being simplistic.
Playing devil's advocate for a moment, one could say that anabolic steroids are no different from any other recreational drug like alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine.
Devil's advocate would also say that the only reason there is no strong evidence of a correlation between anabolic steroids and suicide is because few researchers have examined it.
Of course, I disagree with devil's advocate. My opinion is that anabolic steroids are qualitatively different type of recreational drug that is used for completely different purposes than drugs traditionally linked to teen suicide like alcohol, pot, and cocaine. Thus, it is unfair to lump
AAS in with these drugs.
Furthermore, it is also my opinion that the correlation between
AAS and suicide does not exist or is very weak. No researcher gets published who reports no result or weak results. That is why you don't see much evidence of such a link.
And even if a correlation did turn up some time in the future, they will not prove causality. Too many confounding variables. They can't even prove causality with alcohol/cocaine and suicide.