Newswise — The war against doping at the Beijing Olympics promises to be intense, and drug testing has become quite sophisticated. But David Baron, D.O., warns that policing alone won't work.
"We can't focus solely on testing and catching athletes using drugs, we must also educate athletes, trainers and coaches about how drugs affect the body physically and emotionally," said Baron, professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral science at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital, and chair of the sports section for the World Psychiatric Association with the Beijing Olympic Committee.
Baron is part of a team that will be running doping education and the mental health clinic in the Olympic Village. He's a veteran of six Olympic Games, having served as a doping control officer and a psychiatrist for the athletes.
"Doping is a behavior and a lot of the side effects are psychiatric. Our interest lies in what motivates athletes to use drugs and how we can intervene," he said.
The problem extends to the larger population too. Baron is concerned about the messages that young athletes are getting about performance-enhancing drugs.
"My fear is that kids are interpreting doping among elite athletes as the only way to be the best, to achieve that level of performance," he said. "I tell athletes that their advantage over a competitor is often all in the mind. It doesn't have to come from a drug."
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