The GN Podcast with Andrew Fuller: Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs and Young People

In this episode:

Fitspo, social media and exercise culture has seen an increase in young people’s interests in anabolic steroids and related drugs
These drugs have significant side effects and can cause serious long term problems
In dealing with young people who are using these agents, possible the best approach to take is a non-judgmental and with the aim of helping them understand the potential harms and eventually ceasing their use

Host: Andrew Fuller, Clinical psychologist and family therapist, speaker and creator of Learning Strengths

Guest: Dr Katinka Van De Ven, Visiting Fellow, Drug Policy Modelling Program (DPMP), Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC); Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Rural Criminology, University of New England

Total time: 30 mins

To assist GPs in their treatment of patients who use non-prescribed anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) and other performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs), the Sydney North Health Network (SNHN) developed a GP PIED Guide to harm minimisation. The Guide covers topics such as assessment, red flags, what investigations to run, and management tips, and has four skill-based webinars that cover a range of topics in this area (e.g. how to manage a patient who is not yet ready to stop).

This Guide was developed by Dr Katinka van de Ven, Dr Beng Eu, Dr Eva Jackson, Dr Esther Han, Dr Nicole Gouda, Ms Pat Simmonds and Mr Craig Parsons. It involved an extensive review and consultations with health professionals who have experience treating this patient group. The Guide is freely accessible here: https://www.snhn.net/steroid-harm-minimisation/. A PDF-version will become available for download soon.

For social media:
If you promote it via Twitter, you can potentially include the following Twitter handles: @KatinkavandeVen and @SNHNetwork (and include the link to the Guide).