User:Scott.Cunningham22/Sports psychiatry

Mental health stigma
Mental health is a common problem, with three hundred and twenty-two million people living with depression worldwide, according to the World Health Organization in 2015. Athletes appear to have similar levels of mental health problems to the rest of the population. However, they often face certain barriers in seeking mental health care, which can make their mental health issues more severe. The most challenging barrier that athletes face is the mental health stigma prevalent in the sports community. Professions such as sports psychiatry provide athletes with outlets and solutions to their mental health issues. Therefore, an important role for sports psychiatrists is to help de-stigmatize and promote mental health among athletes.

What is a stigma?

A stigma is a negative perception that is associated with an individual, group of people, circumstance, or specific trait. Erving Goffman, a well-known sociologist and social psychologist, explained that stigma occurs when what a person should be does not equate to what they perceive themselves to be. Goffman used stigma to describe the situations where one is not given respect due to them not fulfilling the role they are supposed to in whichever circumstance they are in. Goffman did this by creating two different groups of people: Those who attain what they ought to be are “normals”, and those who do not are the “stigmatized”. In the context of sports, those who do not have mental health issues would be the “normals”, and those who do experience mental health disorders would potentially be “stigmatized”.

Mental health stigma in sports

In the sports world, it is often assumed athletes have the ideal mental toughness that allows them to be successful in their sport. Therefore, when an athlete has a mental health issue, they can see this as a contradiction to the mental fortitude they are supposed to maintain. This is where the mental health stigma arises: When what athletes feel internally contradicts what they are expected to portray externally. The concern for not being respected by coaches, teammates, and even family members can lead an athlete to not seek the mental health care that they need. Athletes often believe this lack of respect will come from them not fulfilling the role they are meant to fulfill when they have a mental health problem.

Examples of mental health stigma

· Natasha Danvers is a retired, British track and field athlete who has won Olympic medals. She had consistent mental health issues and attempted to commit suicide in 2011. Later on, Natasha explained that the sport she played created an environment where she was supposed to be able to handle tough situations by herself. Due to this, it was hard for her to admit she had mental health issues, which she described as a “weakness”.

· Michael Phelps is an American swimmer with the most Olympic medals of all time, winning a total of twenty-eight. Phelps struggled with mental health issues and experienced suicidal thoughts. Michael explained that he was under the impression it was a sign of weakness to ask for help. In the sports world, asking for help reduces the mentally strong image athletes are supposed to maintain.

· American baseball player Rick Ankiel had anxiety issues which forced him to retire. He explained the stigma around mental health in athletics, and how it negatively affected him. Rick provided an example of this stigma when he mentioned people on social media accusing him of being weak and lacking mental toughness.

· American professional tennis player Mardy Fish had a cardiac arrest which caused him to have a serious anxiety disorder. Mardy discussed that athletes are taught to have mental toughness and that showing weakness, such as anxiety issues, is unworthy behavior in the sports world.