How do we diagnose a mental health issue in athletes?

Psychological stressors at different performance levels

Athletes in endurance sports face psychological ‘stressors’ that are specific to their sport. For instance, channel swimmers have talked about psychological pressures including loneliness and anxiety related to the length of the swim. Like this, runners talk of a debilitating psychological condition known as “hitting the wall,” in which they have intensely doubtful thoughts about their capacity to go on.

Psychological stressors are common to endurance athletes across different sports at different performance levels, says research published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Some of these stressors that came out during the research were, ‘remaining focused during an event’, ‘optimizing pacing’, and ‘commitment to training sessions’. These themes were perceived to affect motivation and concentration, which in turn impact overall performance.

Interventions that help endurance athletes to cope with these psychological demands could therefore encourage better outcomes in both performance and well-being for athletes.

Athletes’ language and belief systems have a major impact on mental health.

Athletes’ belief systems — specifically irrational beliefs — are related to poorer self-confidence, and in turn, greater competitive anxiety, and depressive symptoms.

Dr. Martin Turner, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “In our recent study, self-depreciation beliefs were found to be the main predictor of low self-confidence. In simple terms, when an athlete puts themselves down and uses language like “If I lose, it means I am a failure” it is most damaging and most likely to lead to losses of confidence. This is then likely to have a knock-on effect on performance and well-being.

Paul Mansell, Lecturer in Sport, and Exercise Psychology at Staffordshire University said, “Despite the psychological benefits of physical activity, studies frequently report poor mental health in athletes, which may be exacerbated by adversities, such as injury, de-selection, and performance pressure.”

“The good news is that irrational beliefs can be challenged and weakened. A coach, teammate, or sports psychologist can listen out for irrational belief phrases and help athletes to counter them. Promoting helpful ‘self-talk’ or imagery can really help to shift somebody’s mindset from being rigid and illogical to being more rational, flexible, and healthy,” Paul added.

Why is it now talked about in the mainstream?

An important shift in the narrative of mental health in sports was triggered in May 2021 when tennis superstar Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open, citing concerns for her mental health. In this act of bravery and vulnerability, Osaka faced both admiration and admonishment. Popular and social media quickly ignited and prominent athletes such as Serena Williams, Usain Bolt, and mental health advocate Michael Phelps supported the cause. A mental wellness app Calm went viral and offered to cover Osaka’s fines.

Even in Tokyo Olympics gymnast Simone Biles voluntarily sat out several events which further triggered a global discussion about mental health in sports and became a mainstream talk.

Mental Health risks for athletes:

The sports industry organized efforts to increase awareness of the numerous career dynamics that pose mental health risks to athletes:

1. Unsustainable expectations for perfection and constant improvement
2. Enormous public pressure to win.
3. Pervasive demand to outwork or outlast an opponent.
4. Relatively short career span (especially in case of injury, can end fast)

Discussion of mental health shifting at the organizational level

Discussions regarding mental health have also become more common in organizations due to the pandemic’s obvious detrimental effects on workplace mental health and well-being.

As a result, many businesses are modifying and refocusing their organizational health policies. For instance, executives from several well-known companies have started a global collaboration to spur reform.