Doping and mental illness

Drug abuse in the athlete population may involve doping in an effort to gain a competitive advantage.
Alternatively, it may involve use of substances such as alcohol or marijuana without the intent of performance enhancement, since athletes may develope substance use disorders just as any nonathlete may.
Athletes may turn to substances to cope with numerous stressors, including pressure to perform, injuries, physical pain and retirement from a life of sport.
Additionaly, athletes may be significantly less likely to receive treatment for underlying mental illnesses such as depression. Athletes receive comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation for physical injuries, but this may be less often the case for mental illness, because of their sometimes viewing mental illness as a sign of weakness. Untreated mental illness is often associated with substance use, perhabs in an effort to self-treat. Alternatively, substances of abuse may cause mental illness.

Reference::: NADA :: National Anti Doping Agency from: http://www.nada.nic.in/View/Prohibited.aspx