Mental Health in Athletes

Abstract

While research on mental health and mental illness in the general population has increased in quality and prevalence in recent years, this same calibre of progress has not reached the sport psychology field. Early research portrays athletes as immune to mental illness, citing the high volumes of exercise, group affiliation, and sense of identity associated with athletics as preventive measures. However, increasing numbers of studies indicate that these same factors – typically viewed as protective, but also, at a certain intensity, associated with increased risk for injury and even career termination – may actually contribute to the prevalence of mental illnesses in the athlete population to a rate comparable to that of the general population. This research gap exists for accurate prevalence measurements and for accurate models distinguishing between mental health and mental illness in athletes. The following chapter will introduce a multidimensional approach to mental health, summarise research findings supporting such a model and showcase the benefits of an encompassing understanding of mental health.