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British Tabloid Blames Steroid Abuse for Blind Rage and Temper Tantrums in Suicide Death of Ex-Royal Marine
John Salthouse, a 23-year old former United Kingdom Royal Marine committed suicide under a bridge near his Ashton-Under-Lyne home in August 2015. This month, an inquest heard testimony that Salthouse had used anabolic steroids in the year prior to his death. Not surprisingly, British tabloid newspapers are using this evidence to suggest that steroids may have caused the young man's death.
Graham Salthouse testified that his son left the Royal Marines in 2014 after being involved in a vaguely-described incident in which a hotel (room) was damaged. The 23-year old returned home where he reportedly starting lifting weight and became serious about bodybuilding.
“He didn’t seem happy at the end of his time in the Royal Marines and had some problems,” his father testified. "He came back to live at the family home with me and his sister and it was around this time he became very serious about weightlifting.
"He had always been serious about gym training. I think his temper might have been to do with the drugs he was taking. Bodybuilding drugs appeared in the house, which were muscle building drugs, most of them were bought online from abroad.
"I was concerned about what affect they had on him physically and mentally.”
Salthouse reported suffered “fits of blind rage” and “violent temper tantrums” while he lived with his parents. His violent behavior continued to escalate up until the point he allegedly choked his younger sister Charlene during an argument of housekeeping duties. His father kicked him out of the family home as after the incident with his sister.
Salthouse subsequently started living with his girlfriend Kimberley Challenor. Salthouse soon directed his threats towards Challenor. Challenor attributed his behavior to the steroid pills he was taking every two weeks.
“We were at a party in Manchester and he got aggressive because I stopped him doing a deal in the club,” Challenor testified. “It was almost like he was in a blind rage. I also knew he was taking steroids around that time.
"We had never seen him like that before. I made the decision that we would be better off friends and he was remorseful and said sorry. I assured him that he could stay as long as he wanted and he would be fine one moment and then turn the next.”
Salthouse was hospitalized at the Tameside Hospital after Challenor discovered him in the bathtub with cuts on his legs and blood smeared on the wall. Salthouse was wearing his Marine beret and had a ligature tied around his neck.
Salthouse was discharged the following day and within 24 hours he died of suffocation via suicide.
Patricia Bardsley, a senior practitioner in mental health services didn't mention steroids as something that precipitated Salthouse's suicide. Instead, she described relationship problems and suicidal thoughts related to the fragility of his relationship.
“He said he felt insecure in his relationship and said it had been fragile the last two months,” Bardsley testified. “Two nights earlier he had made a number of derogatory remarks towards her and the next day she ended the relationship. He had suicidal thoughts.”
Small levels of antidepressants were found in Salthouse's system during post-mortem tests. No mention of the presence of anabolic steroids in his system was reported in news accounts.
Salthouse's death is tragic. However, singling out steroids as the cause of his suicide trivializes the complexities of the many relevant factors that may have contributed to the tragedy.
John Salthouse, a 23-year old former United Kingdom Royal Marine committed suicide under a bridge near his Ashton-Under-Lyne home in August 2015. This month, an inquest heard testimony that Salthouse had used anabolic steroids in the year prior to his death. Not surprisingly, British tabloid newspapers are using this evidence to suggest that steroids may have caused the young man's death.
Graham Salthouse testified that his son left the Royal Marines in 2014 after being involved in a vaguely-described incident in which a hotel (room) was damaged. The 23-year old returned home where he reportedly starting lifting weight and became serious about bodybuilding.
“He didn’t seem happy at the end of his time in the Royal Marines and had some problems,” his father testified. "He came back to live at the family home with me and his sister and it was around this time he became very serious about weightlifting.
"He had always been serious about gym training. I think his temper might have been to do with the drugs he was taking. Bodybuilding drugs appeared in the house, which were muscle building drugs, most of them were bought online from abroad.
"I was concerned about what affect they had on him physically and mentally.”
Salthouse reported suffered “fits of blind rage” and “violent temper tantrums” while he lived with his parents. His violent behavior continued to escalate up until the point he allegedly choked his younger sister Charlene during an argument of housekeeping duties. His father kicked him out of the family home as after the incident with his sister.
Salthouse subsequently started living with his girlfriend Kimberley Challenor. Salthouse soon directed his threats towards Challenor. Challenor attributed his behavior to the steroid pills he was taking every two weeks.
“We were at a party in Manchester and he got aggressive because I stopped him doing a deal in the club,” Challenor testified. “It was almost like he was in a blind rage. I also knew he was taking steroids around that time.
"We had never seen him like that before. I made the decision that we would be better off friends and he was remorseful and said sorry. I assured him that he could stay as long as he wanted and he would be fine one moment and then turn the next.”
Salthouse was hospitalized at the Tameside Hospital after Challenor discovered him in the bathtub with cuts on his legs and blood smeared on the wall. Salthouse was wearing his Marine beret and had a ligature tied around his neck.
Salthouse was discharged the following day and within 24 hours he died of suffocation via suicide.
Patricia Bardsley, a senior practitioner in mental health services didn't mention steroids as something that precipitated Salthouse's suicide. Instead, she described relationship problems and suicidal thoughts related to the fragility of his relationship.
“He said he felt insecure in his relationship and said it had been fragile the last two months,” Bardsley testified. “Two nights earlier he had made a number of derogatory remarks towards her and the next day she ended the relationship. He had suicidal thoughts.”
Small levels of antidepressants were found in Salthouse's system during post-mortem tests. No mention of the presence of anabolic steroids in his system was reported in news accounts.
Salthouse's death is tragic. However, singling out steroids as the cause of his suicide trivializes the complexities of the many relevant factors that may have contributed to the tragedy.