Athlete mental health

Athlete mental health is a term used to describe the psychological well-being of athletes. The field has recently become more recognized due to an increased awareness about the impacts of sport and physical activity on individual’s overall wellbeing. Mental health within this context encompasses both positive and negative aspects such as performance anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts or ideation, substance abuse, eating disorders and body image issues.

Mental illness can affect any athlete regardless of age or level of competition; however it appears that certain demographics are at higher risk than others including female athletes, elite performers and those competing in certain sports like gymnastics and figure skating which emphasize aesthetics over skill development. Additionally there is evidence linking youth sport participation with greater levels of stress related symptoms later in life compared to non-athletes who participated less frequently during their childhoods.

There are many potential causes for poor mental health among athletes but some common factors include: high pressure environment (elite/professional), inability to live up to expectations (self imposed or external) , lack of control over outcomes/desired results , fear associated with injury recovery periods , sudden changes in lifestyle / environment when transitioning from amateur into professional settings . Furthermore cultural norms around masculinity may prevent male athletes from seeking help even though they experience similar difficulties as female counterparts do; thus creating stigma surrounding admitting one’s struggles publicly . This issue was highlighted by NBA player Kevin Love’s 2018 article for The Player Tribune titled Everyone is Going Through Something – where he wrote candidly about his own battle against panic attacks while playing basketball professionally .
The Olympic Charter since 2017 requires all National Olympic Committees signatories adhere “to requirements concerning mental health protection standards” regarding its members’ access to care services – this includes providing information on available support systems within respective countries as well ensuring confidentiality when sharing sensitive medical data between parties involved directly in monitoring each participant’s condition(e).g team doctors ). In addition organizations such as United States Anti Doping Agency have also published educational materials designed specifically address concerns amongst competitive athletes like nutrition tips stress management strategies etcetera so that these individuals can practice self regulation techniques before resorting medication therapy if necessary..

In summary improving athlete mental health should be considered essential component any comprehensive training program especially given growing visibility topic receives today thanks largely advocacy efforts made famous figures across different sporting disciplines worldwide