Mental Health Issues In Elite Athletes

Granito Jr. and Vincent J. did a study in 2002 over the psychological response to athletic injury. The purpose of their study was to describe the athletic injury experience, focusing on differences between male and female athletes. 31 injured athletes (15 male and 16 female) were interviewed about their athletic injury. Each participant went through an interview process, consisting of an in-depth interview and follow-up telephone interviews. The interview data were analyzed, and compared between the male and female athletes. The results showed that female athletes tended to perceive the coaches as much more negative with respect to how the coach treated them following their injury; were less likely to talk about a significant other (boyfriend/girlfriend); and were more concerned about how the injury would influence their health at a future point. Conclusions focused on possible explanations and how the results fit into the current theory for the psychological response to injury for each gender.

In the second journal by (Rapp, 2006) the researcher conducted a test by which, “Individual responses of injured athletes varied from those who took injury in stride to those who required psychiatric intervention.” Rapp (p. 9) This seemed to significantly designate the further examination of the importance of not simply “Assuming mood disturbances nor overlooking a serious emotional response in the injured athlete.” Rapp (pg.13) Therefore, the athlete can be diagnosed in a clinical sense with the appropriate testing to confirm or rule out the need for psychiatric help at the time

In America, the sports industry is one of the largest and most powerful country; whether the sport is football, baseball, basketball, or any of the other sports the country has. Recently reports and documented cases have risen involving some of these sports’ greatest athletes, as well as current players, dealing with concussions (Famous sports concussions, 2012). Numerous athletes, some of them being the sport’s highest profile players, were found to have several mental illnesses and diseases, that have been attributed to head injuries sustained while they were playing their sports. The biggest and most predominant of these injuries is concussions. They can cause not only immediate issues, but also a lifetime of health problems (Smith, 2009). Sports related concussions lead to brain deterioration, which leads to long lasting effects throughout life.

In America, the sports industry is one of the largest and most powerful country; whether the sport is football, baseball, basketball, or any of the other sports the country has. Recently reports and documented cases have risen involving some of these sports’ greatest athletes, as well as current players, dealing with concussions (Famous sports concussions, 2012). Numerous athletes, some of them being the sport’s highest profile players, were found to have several mental illnesses and diseases, that have been attributed to head injuries sustained while they were playing their sports. The biggest and most predominant of these injuries is concussions. They can cause not only immediate issues, but also a lifetime of health

Are you at more risk to develop a mental illness if you are a professional athlete?

In the study “The Role of Mental Toughness in Coping and Injury Response in Female Roller Derby and Rugby Athletes” (Madrigal, Wurst, and Gill, 2016), the researchers explored the mental toughness, injury response, and coping skills among female athletes in roller derby and collegiate rugby. A survey was given to the participants to measure the mental toughness, hardiness, optimism, coping with injury and psychological response to injury, and injury status. They found that injured rugby players have an easier time responding to injuries than the injured roller derby players do. However, both groups’ mental toughness were found to have no differences despite the different response to injury. Rugby players who play through their injuries were found to have higher mental toughness than those who do not. However, the opposite results for mental toughness was found for roller derby players. This polar opposite result may be contributed to the different nature of the sports.

Many people in the world face depression on a daily basis. But, people often do not realize that athletes sometimes get the worst end of the straw. Many studies have been done to show that although some athletes may have depression caused by sports, overall playing any sport, including volleyball, can help an athlete overcome their depression.

The negative impact mental health has had on student-athletes is a continuous problem across the globe and has been a topic of interest in the research world for many years. The stigma behind mental health have lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety, reluctance to seek help, the sense of helplessness and loneliness and many more. In a student-athlete, these stress levels are brought upon the individual for multiple reasons. For example, student-athletes have to accomplish a certain degree of success both on the playing field and in the classroom (A.P. , Deitrick, J.M. , & Reynolds, E. (2016). Maintaining a required average and playing time can become not only physically but mentally exhausting. This literature review will discuss the barriers and facilitators to mental health in student-athletes and how the stigmatization of those student-athletes who suffer from a mental illness have an impact on their everyday life.

One group took part in an aerobic exercise program, another was given SSRI, (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) which is a used as an antidepressant in many athletes struggling to cope with pressure. The third group was to do both of the programs together. At the 16-week mark, depression had lowered in all three groups. In fact, about 60-70% of the participants could no longer be classified as having severe depression (June 2009 Harvard Medical School). The groups scores rating on levels of depression were relatively the same, this suggests that for those who need or want to avoid drugs, exercise in a suitable substitute for antidepressants. Keep in mind though, that the swiftest response occurred with the group taking antidepressants and that it can be difficult to stay motivated to exercise when you are depressed. This shows how beneficial exercise can be when trying to relieve depression in athletes and social sport participants but this is not true for elite athletes as exercise is already a massive contributor to their lives, so although that exercise can help people suffering from depression, there is clearly other severe factors that are affecting an elite athletes mental

Being an athlete takes a lot of mental toughness. Athletes constantly have to be mentally tough to get through all the curve balls that are being thrown at them. Whether it’s an injury that is hard to overcome

They demonstrated that the initial reactions to injury and retirement can be serious and negative, as these athletes experienced symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). That being said, there were several limitations that affected the overall significance of their results. First of all, there were only three case studies, and most of the information reported upon came from within the therapeutic relationship. In addition, the authors did not provide qualification levels for the counselors, the amount of sessions attended, or long-term effects of the treatments. Furthermore, as the study utilized qualitative methods, one cannot take any concrete conclusions away from their results. However, Heird and Steinfeldt (2013) provided an adequate foundation for future research involving the initial reactions of athletes who are confronted with injury and/or

Career transitioning and retirement for athletes with high athletic identities has been acknowledged as a potentially vulnerable and problematic phase. Specifically, individuals may encounter unique psychological challenges as they adjust to life after sport. Park et al. (2012) found that 70% of the studies they reviewed included participants, who expressed career transition challenges or negative emotions, including feelings of loss, identity crisis, and distress. With increased understanding of the psychological and emotional experience of retiring collegiate athletes, mental health professionals can provide the appropriate support and guidance required for more adaptive transitions out of sport. The importance of maintaining adequate mental

For High Performance athletes, there can be a lot riding on their results and performance in competition. If athletes develop an over-reliance on sporting success as a source of self-worth and identity, it can lead to serious emotional issues if things do not go as desired. Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to perform, and performance failure has been significantly associated with depression (Taylor, 2015 pg.11; Troijan, 2016, pg. 137) Athletes face many struggles and when something goes wrong it can leave them not knowing where to turn for help. They can be left with they feelings that they are nothing, undeserving, and alone. This may also exacerbate their feelings of seclusion, depression, or grief. Most athletes

There is pewee teams, high school and college teams, city leagues and professional teams. After every game we witness the emotions on the field, off the field, and after the games. There are people that are happy for the win, sad about their loss, or upset about the calls made during the game. The Huffington Post article about “The Mental and Emotional Stress of an NFL Athlete,” provides us with the emotional capacity a player must have to be able to endure the stress of playing the game (Cameron, Ronnie). There have been incidents, in which a player ended his girlfriend’s life as well as his, and another reported suicide due to stress correlated to playing a game. The fear of being labeled emotional distress as a NFL player, does not allow the player to get the proper attention or guidance needed to relieve the stress. The emotions that go on during a game as well as all the stress of a career have intensified due to the lack of transparency provided from the player. Therefore, being emotionally unbalanced can lead to actions players may not understand or take full responsibility

letes will tell you from a young age that they aspire to be the best in the sport that they do. Whether its making it to that Division one school or becoming an elite athlete in the professional sense, where the individual now earns a living from playing said sport. Athletes are defined as an individual who has trained and/or become skilled in sports, exercise, or games in which require physical strength, stamina, and agility (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). This then posses the question, can an individual whom is not at their best physical strength or agility or stamina be someone that we’d consider an athlete? We’ve seen over time an increase in the concern of athlete’s health whether it be from alcohol and/or drug abuse, and eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or other disordered eating patterns. Both problems could be detrimental to the individual’s health and both raise ethical dilemmas for a coach to consider. In this paper we will further discuss the issues associated with both drug or substance abuse and eating disorders in athletes.