Symposium

Abstract

Sports psychiatry is a specific branch of psychiatry that deals with two exclusive aspects– dealing with mental health in athletes, especially elite athletes, and use of sports or exercise as a therapeutic option in managing various psychiatric disorders. Several studies have reported high rates of mental health problems in elite athletes and that has an impact on their performance and also their careers. There is a need to understand this aspect more in detail. Prescribing exercise for mental health by we psychiatrists might contribute significantly in achieving the goals set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The adjunctive role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of various mental health conditions has gathered significant positive evidence. Therefore, including physical activity in our prescription might help bring down the rates of the current prevalence of mental illnesses in India, which, too, pose an immense challenge. An important by-product of enhancing our skills in the implementation of physical activity, exercise, and sports in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders might as well see the growth of this new subspecialty in our discipline.Proposed topic divisionIntroduction to sports psychiatry: Need and the evolution– Dr Shobit GargMental health issues in sportspersons and their management: an overview – Dr Sai Krishna TikkaThe science behind and the evidence for the use of sports/exercise as a therapeutic option in psychiatry – Dr Namdev ChawanChallenges in managing mental health in athletes and in implementing exercise prescription– Dr Venkatesh Babu GM