Position paper: sports psychiatric care provision in competitive sports

Abstract

Mental stress and illness are common health problems in competitive sports that can reduce performance and have effects beyond the end of a career as sport-specific and unspecific disorders. The promotion of mental health and safe handling of mental problems and illnesses require appropriate education and train-ing. However, child, adolescent and adult psychiatrists with specific expertise in competitive sports (sports psychiatrists) are not yet an integral part of the structure of medical care provision in competitive sports. This position paper gives an overview about existing care structures in competitive sports for the promotion of mental health, and investigated them with proposals for the further development of sports psychiatric care in competitive sports. Sports physicians, sports psychiatrists, as well as interdisci-plinary and interprofessional collaboration, are at the center of mental health efforts in competitive sports. Further aspects that will be discussed are the education and training of athletes and the environment in competitive sports, as well as the promotion of coaches’ health. Key Words: Elite sports, Prevention, Mental health problems and disorders, Sports psychiatry, Sports Medicine

Sports psychiatric examination in competitive sports

“…It is necessary to further professionalize psychiatric-psychotherapeutic care in competitive sports (15). This includes the development of uniform quality standards in the diagnostics of mental health problems and illnesses, including the development of suitable screening instruments.…”

“…While sports medicine can look back on a long tradition and anchoring in competitive sports, sports psychiatry is not yet really established in competitive sports (15). This is reflected on the one hand by the still insufficient sports psychiatric treatment possi-bilities, and on the other hand by the still insufficient evaluation of psychiatric complaints and illnesses in the Pre-Participation Examination (PPE; in Germany SMU; in Switzerland: SPU).…”

Gewalt und Missbrauch im Leistungssport

“…Die Diagnostik, Therapie und Nachsorge psychischer Belastungen und Erkrankungen sollte Fachärzt_innen für Positionspapier Kinder-und Jugendpsychiatrie und -psychotherapie, Fach-ärzt_innen für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie sowie Fach-psycholog_innen für Psychotherapie vorbehalten sein [29]. Wie auch andere psychische Störungen und Erkrankungen bedürfen Traumafolgestörungen einer spezifischen Expertise, die sichergestellt sein sollte.…”

“…Aufgrund eines möglichen Rollenkonflikts sind mentales Training und Psychotherapie voneinander zu trennen und sollten -auch wenn aufgrund der Aus-und Weiterbildung die Expertise für beide Bereiche vorliegt -nicht von derselben Fachperson durchgeführt werden. Auf das von uns vorgeschlagene Tandem-Konzept der interprofessionellen Zusammenarbeit im Leistungssport sei hier ausdrücklich verwiesen [29].…”

Swiss Society for Sports Psychiatry and Psychotherapy SSSPP: annual report 2021 and outlook

“…A special issue on psychiatry and sports medicine was also published in the 6th issue 2021 of the German Journal of Sports Medicine (Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin DZSM) and in accordance with the title, various topics in competitive and health sports were taken up and discussed in an interdisciplinary manner in 2 editorials and 8 contributions [10]. Gonzalez Hofmann et al proposed in the special issue the addition of a psychiatric baseline assessment (PBA) to the pre-participataion examination (PPE) in competitive sports, and a position paper, also written by psychiatrists as well as sports physicians, discussed an addition to the care model in competitive sports to promote mental health [11,12]. In the other area of activity of sports psychiatrists, Imboden et al and Gerber et.…”