Steroids: Not Just A Guy Thing

Warning: Young Girls Take Them, Too

(CBS)  Steroid use among high school students has more than doubled in the last decade. Surprisingly, use is highest among ninth grade girls, with more than 7 percent taking them nationwide.

In an interview with The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm, Dr. Julian Bailes, a neurosurgeon at West Virginia University and the author of a book called "When Winning Costs Too Much," outlined the danger signals.

Why are high school girls taking steroids?

"Probably about a third are taking it for the athletic performance. Probably two-thirds to get a muscular or cut look," explains Bailes.

Asked if girls who are prone to eating disorders take steroids, Bailes replies, "I think that's part of it. And I think they're not doing the heavy weight lifting; they're not doing the heavy caloric intake, but they are getting this muscular look, and it's hard to detect."

Steroid are surprisingly easy for these girls to get. Among possible sources, according to Bailes, are gyms, the Internet, from their peers, and even from their schools. He adds, "They're easier to get than you think."

The irony is that in order to get a body they think is more attractive, these young girls are talking a male sex hormone.

In addition to long-term effects, such as damage to the liver, heart and the immune system, including higher cholesterol and lipid profiles, there are some very severe side effects that are more immediate. Among those are:

• Severe acne
  
• A deeper voice
  
• Excess facial and body hair
  
• Smaller breasts
  
• Irregular periods
  
• Depression
  
• Paranoia
  
• Roid Rage

Bailes says steroid use can be difficult to detect without blood testing, even with all the side effects. His recommendations: "I think you have to talk to your kids. I think parents and coaches and teachers all have to be involved in trying to help solve the problem."

He also encourages parents to encourage their children to develop self-esteem that does not come from how they look: "They have to look at character and that it's not just how they look that determines how they perform. There are a lot of social and athletic pressures to perform."