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Örebro StudieS in Medicine 28 2009 issn 1652-4063 isbn 978-91-7668-662-1Kurt Skårberg is a social worker, specializing in
the treatment of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users. After completing his Bachelor Degree in Social Work, he began working at the Addiction Centre in Örebro. He has met over a hundred AAS users, both in treatment and anonymously, counselling AAS users and family members with AAS-related problems. He was one of the founders of a national AAS network, which brings together clinics and researchers from various fields of science. During the past six years he has devoted part of his time to his doctoral studies at the Psychiatric Research Centre in Örebro, which is affiliated to the School of Health and Medical Sciences at Örebro University.
It has been common for athletes to experiment with AAS for several decades. Initially, the use was almost entirely restricted to highly trained athletes. Today, the use of AAS can be found among various groups of people. The aim of the thesis was to gain knowledge about users of anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) who have sought treatment at an addiction clinic within the healthcare system. Particular interest was directed at the following areas: social background, current social situation, the development of AAS use over time, the link with other drugs and criminality, and the psychic and physical side effects.
This thesis shows that AAS users often have both a history of and a current difficult social situation, that AAS use is often combined with a polysubstance drug use, that AAS use is linked to criminal activities including crimes of violence and weapon offences, and that AAS use can be a gateway to the use of other drugs of abuse.
Örebro Studies in Medicine 28
örebro 2009
Doctoral Dissertation
Anabolic-androgenic steroid users in treatment
Social background, drug use patterns, and criminality
Kurt Skårberg Medicine
