During a lecture in my second year of medical school, we had an interactive panel discussion on the many actions of testosterone which included a discussion on anabolic steroids abuse. This Daily Doodle illustrates the adverse effects of anabolic steroid abuse inspired by this lecture and a past project that I completed in my industrial design undergrad for a course titled “Social Awareness Design”.

During the Social Awareness Design course, I turned the game “Operation” by Hasbro into an educational tool to teach teenagers and young adults about the adverse effects associated with anabolic steroid abuse. In addition, I created an entire Social Awareness Campaign featuring this modified game-board, including billboard ads, social media and magazine ads and posters for public washroom displays. To note, this project was for educational purposes only. 

By playing the game, the user will learn about anabolic steroids and the potential consequences of steroid abuse. The playing cards were created in a similar fashion to the original Operation game, using catchy rhymes to deliver the message. The overall theme of the social awareness campaign was “Don’t Play Games With Your Health”.

Some of the “Possible Health Consequences of Anabolic Steroid Abuse” as listed on the NIDA website include [1]:

Men:
infertility
breast development
shrinking of the testicles
male-pattern baldness

Women:
enlargement of the clitoris
excessive growth of body hair
male-pattern baldness

Musculoskeletal system:
short stature (if taken by adolescents)
tendon rupture

Cardiovascular system:
increases in LDL
decreases in HDL
high blood pressure
heart attacks
enlargement of the heart’s left ventricle

Liver:
cancer
peliosis hepatis
tumors

Skin:
severe acne and cysts
oily scalp
jaundice
fluid retention

Infection:
HIV/AIDS (needle injection risk)
hepatitis

Psychiatric effects:
rage, aggression
mania
delusions

For more information on anabolic steroids, please visit: National Institute on Drug Abuse 

References:

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Anabolic Steroids”. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/anabolic-steroid-abuse/letter-director
2. Hasboro, “Operation”. http://www.hasbrogames.com/en-us/search?q=operation

“Anabolic Steroid Adverse Effects” Daily Doodle by Michiko Maruyama