The Use of Psychiatric Medication by Athletes

Reardon, Claudia L.; Factor, Robert M.

doi:10.1002/9781118404904.ch15

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 32 publications

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“…A range of pharmacological interventions is available for common mental illnesses, but if medication is to be prescribed then tolerability and safety will be important and influence medication choice (McAllister-Williams & Johnston, 2016;Reardon & Factor, 2013). Individualized prescribing decisions are good practice throughout medicine, but assume special importance for an elite performer.…”

Section: What Is the Psychiatrist's Role In Treatment?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatric disorders: The psychiatrist’s contribution to sport

Currie

Johnston

2016

International Review of Psychiatry

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Athletes experience a range of mental health problems with at least an equivalent prevalence to the general population. This chapter explores the psychiatrist's role in sport, along a pathway of mental healthcare from 'upstream' prevention, screening, and early detection of mental stress to 'downstream' assessment, treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery from mental illness. At each stage on this pathway the psychiatrist has a broad spectrum of bio-psycho-social strategies to employ in clinical practice. Upstream, the importance of psychological resilience is described along with the concept of mental 'pre-habilitation' (a term usually associated with the prevention of physical injury). Alongside these preventative measures, early detection is improved by education, increased awareness, and by the use of effective mental health screening measures. Further downstream ready access to psychiatric expertise and good collaboration between the psychiatrist and the world of sport improve access to treatment, delivery of that treatment, rehabilitation, and return to sport during recovery.

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Section: What Is the Psychiatrist's Role In Treatment?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatric disorders: The psychiatrist’s contribution to sport

Currie

Johnston

2016

International Review of Psychiatry

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The Use of Stimulant Medication to Treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Elite Athletes: A Performance and Health Perspective

et al. 2017

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The use of stimulants as a treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among elite athletes is a controversial area with some arguing that stimulant use should not be permitted because it offers an advantage to athletes (fair play perspective). Guided by an integrated model of athletic performance, we address common concerns raised about stimulant use in sports from our perspective, which we coined the "performance and health perspective," highlighting relevant research and pointing to gaps in empirical research that should be addressed before bans on use of stimulants for athletes with ADHD are considered. The current article posits that a stimulant ban for athletes with ADHD does not necessarily facilitate fair play, ensure safety, or align with existing policies of large governing bodies. Instead, we recommend that stimulant medication be allowed in high-level sport, following proper diagnosis by a trained professional and a cardiac assessment to confirm no underlying heart conditions. Athletes with ADHD approved to use stimulant medication should be monitored by a health care professional, physically reevaluated and reassessed for ADHD as clinically appropriate and as indicated by relevant sports governing bodies. This performance and health perspective is consistent with that of multiple sport governing bodies who offer therapeutic use.

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The sports psychiatrist and psychiatric medication

Reardon

2016

International Review of Psychiatry

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There are several critical factors to consider in prescribing psychiatric medications to athletes. In addition to the usual considerations when prescribing any psychotropic agent to any patient, the prescriber in this case should pay careful attention to: (1) potential negative impact of the medication on athletic performance, (2) potential performance-enhancing effects, and (3) potential safety risks. This paper describes an updated review of relevant research findings and considerations in the above areas within various categories of psychiatric medications. Many methodological concerns exist with the studies that have examined psychotropic medication use by athletes. These include: small sample sizes; use of the medication in dosing strategies (e.g. single dose) that do not replicate how they are usually taken in the real world; use of primarily male subjects only; use of performance measures (e.g. subtraction, multitask) in some studies that may not align with physical demands experienced by athletes in their natural athletic environments; and not using athletes who actually have the psychiatric disorder or symptom the medication was designed to treat. Despite these concerns, data currently available provide at least some guidance for clinicians wishing to make informed decisions about psychotropic prescribing for their athlete-patients.

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The Use of Psychiatric Medication by Athletes

Cited by 3 publications

References 32 publications

Psychiatric disorders: The psychiatrist’s contribution to sport

Psychiatric disorders: The psychiatrist’s contribution to sport

The Use of Stimulant Medication to Treat Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Elite Athletes: A Performance and Health Perspective

The sports psychiatrist and psychiatric medication

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