A Crisis in Sports; Mental Health Pathologies in Athletes

ABSTRACT: The author explores the etiology of various psychological issues and mental health disorders within the context of athletes and the sport setting. Athletes suffer from a heightened susceptibility to certain mental health disorders. The distinctive athletic environment further exacerbates the risk of athletes developing pathologies. Athletes face a demanding singular environment wherein professional achievement relies upon perfection. Stress demands and evergreen physical readiness place enormous burdens on athletes. Sport-specific pressures escalate pathological tendencies and can fuel the development of psychological problems. Elite athletes suffer an exponentially larger risk of mental health disorder development as compared to the general athlete population. Special considerations with regard to elite athletes and psychological pathologies are analyzed and discussed. The prevalence of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) in athletes is explored and its multifaceted impact on sport performance is investigated. Increasing understanding and awareness regarding atypical psychological symptom presentation in athletes is examined in the discourse. Special consideration is given to patterns of identification and diagnosis of body-based symptom presentation within the athlete cohort. Detection and response strategies within the paradigm of the sport setting are reviewed, with particular attention on improving the currently insufficient framework available to athletes. It is important to note that due to the powerful stigma attached to experiencing mental health challenges in sport, most of the statistics regarding the number of athlete-sufferers and prevalence of psychological disorders within athletics are vastly underreported (Chang et al., 2020; Figueroa & Lee, 2024; Poucher et al., 2021). The statistics presented here provide a window into the overall picture, but not a complete view.