Mental Health In Elite Athletes: Increased Awareness Requires An Early Intervention Framework to Respond to Athlete Needs

Abstract

The current ‘state of play’ in supporting elite athlete mental health and wellbeing has centred mostly on building mental health literacy or awareness of the signs of mental ill-health amongst athletes. Such awareness is necessary, but not sufficient to address the varied mental health needs of elite athletes. We call for a new model of intervention and outline the backbone of a comprehensive mental health framework to promote athlete mental health and wellbeing, and respond to the needs of athletes who are at-risk of developing, or already experiencing mental health symptoms or disorders. Early detection of, and intervention for, mental health symptoms is essential in the elite sporting context. Such approaches help build cultures that acknowledge that an athlete’s mental health needs are as important as their physical health needs, and that both are likely to contribute to optimising the athlete’s overall wellbeing in conjunction with performance excellence. The proposed framework aims at (i) helping athletes develop a range of self-management skills that they can utilise to manage psychological distress, (ii) equipping key stakeholders in the elite sporting environment (such as coaches, sports medicine and high-performance support staff) to better recognise and respond to concerns regarding an athlete’s mental health and (iii) highlighting the need for specialist multi-disciplinary teams or skilled mental health professionals to manage athletes with severe or complex mental disorders. Combined, these components ensure that elite athletes receive the intervention and support that they need at the right time, in the right place, with the right person.

Mental health management of elite athletes during COVID-19: a narrative review and recommendations

“…[6][7][8] Here, we delineate management considerations for mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes. Options for management in elite athletes during the pandemic span various treatment modalities, inclusive of community-based or outpatient psychotherapy, outpatient pharmacotherapy and higher levels of care, 9 all of which are addressed in this article. It is likely that these considerations will hold relevance into the foreseeable future given anticipated future waves of COVID-19.…”

Help-Seeking for Mental Health Issues in Professional Rugby League Players

“…Also, in line with trends in the general population this is particularly so for male athletes (Watson, 2005;Lubian et al, 2016). Whilst there is increasing research on the management of mental disorders there is less research on prevention of mental health disorders or the role of early detection and intervention (Purcell et al, 2019).…”

“…For elite athletes a number of individual barriers to accessing help for mental health issues have been identified. This include lack of knowledge and awareness of mental health difficulties (i.e., low mental health literacy), perceived stigma, negative past experiences of help-seeking (Gulliver et al, 2012a;Castaldelli-Maia et al, 2019), and more negative attitudes toward help-seeking (Purcell et al, 2019). Further, cultural factors (such as attitudes of coaches, normalization of help-seeking) also play a role, particularly where a sport emphasizes mental and physical toughness (Baum, 2005).…”

Stress, Professional Lifestyle, and Telomere Biology in Elite Athletes: A Growing Trend in Psychophysiology of Sport

“…Since these variables have been well-documented in non-sport literature, and populations with psychological disorders and healthy individuals, can also inspire elite sport studies in the future. Considering that a few elite athletes may also have a range of psychological disorders ( Purcell et al, 2019 ), this sub-population might also offer a platform for investigation of psychological factors. On this line, the International Olympic Committee has focused on the identification, diagnosis, signs, and symptoms, as well as the treatment of these disorders.…”

“…Acute stress and overcoming those seem feasible in many cases; however, chronic stress is often challenging to deal with and can cause long-term psychological and physical damages ( Mariotti, 2015 ; Sabato et al, 2016 ). Some athletes, for instance, might not be able to apply adaptive coping strategies, which may mitigate the impacts of an innately stressful environment, and those are at higher risks for developing tissue injury and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety ( Purcell et al, 2019 ). These reactions are often due to activation of other cascades following the chronic activation of systems contributed in the stress response.…”