In 2021, the International Olympic Committee introduced the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool (SMHAT-1) to screen athletes for mental health concerns. This tool consists of a series of steps to evaluate an athlete’s mental well-being. The first step involves completing the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ), which helps determine if further assessment is necessary. Athletes […]
Tag: Mental Health
From Alternative to Mainstay: the overwhelming evidence supporting physical activity as a treatment for anxiety and depression
Authors: Ben Singh, Timothy Olds, Rachel Curtis, Dot Dumuid, Rosa Virgara, Amanda Watson, Kimberley Szeto, Edward O’Connor, Ty Ferguson, Emily Eglitis, Aaron Miatke, Catherine EM Simpson, Carol Maher. Ben Singh, Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition, and Activity (ARENA), University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia, Ben.Singh@unisa.edu.au In this blog, we provide an overview […]
The Psychological Impact of Traumatic Events in Sports
Psychological Aftermath of Trauma Extends Beyond Athletes Introduction Risks are inherent in sports. Athletes engage in training and competition with an awareness that injury may occur. Certain sports (e.g. combat, collision, high speed or extreme) are intuitively associated with a greater potential for more severe injuries; however unexpected medical events can occur at any time. […]
Teaming up to try and tackle the stigma around mental health in rugby
Written by Dr Steffan Griffin (PhD Student) and Heather Lewis (Mental Health Foundation) Since the LooseHeadz charity was formed in 2017, they have been relentlessly raising money and awareness around mental health and wellbeing in rugby. Through the selling of clothes and merchandise, they have raised thousands of pounds to support various mental health initiatives, […]
Competing Against COVID-19: have we forgotten about student-athletes’ mental health?
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, competitive athletes have expressed substantial grief and frustration attributed to alterations in routine, limited or modified training, and the postponement of international competitions, such as the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and international championship events [1,2]. The additional strain from the removal of team support networks, which are often […]
Using rugby as a vehicle to #Really tackle the stigma around mental health
Rugby is a sport more often associated with ‘big hits’ than heart-to-heart conversations. However, we know that at the grassroots level of the game, there are numerous health and wellbeing benefits associated with the sport(1). Whilst a lot of these benefits relate to physical health, we also know that rugby can provide participants with a […]
Anxiety and insomnia in athletes during the COVID era: Part 1 – Foundation and Facts
By Drs Carla Edwards @Edwards10Carla and Meeta Singh @athletesleepmd1 Anxiety and Insomnia, respectively, are the most prevalent psychiatric and sleep disorders experienced by the general public, and anxiety and insomnia symptoms are highly prevalent among elite athletes. While each may exist without the other, they are often common partners. Additionally, they serve as risk […]
Mental health in Athletes and COVID-19 – Phil and Georgia Hopley discuss. Episode#425
BJSM Friday Podcast #425 In this week’s podcast, Dr Phil Hopley explains to Dr Will Wynter Bee the impact of the COVID crisis on athletes’ mental health as well as discussing his role in setting up mental health services for the European tour. He also provides insights into how, clinically, he assesses and manages mental […]
Mental health impacts of Covid19: Implications for exercise professionals
By Grace McKeon & Simon Rosenbaum Much of the world is currently in an unprecedented lock-down due to the Covid19 pandemic. As we grapple with the immediate and future mental health impacts of this emerging global crisis, we must turn to our toolkit of proven strategies to help navigate these uncharted waters. Getting people moving is […]
Athlete mental health and mental illness in the era of COVID-19: shifting focus with a new reality
By Drs. Carla Edwards, MD @Edwards10Carla and Jane Thornton @JaneSThornton Few events in history have altered the staging of the Olympic Games. Thus far only the World Wars have kept our athletes away from the grand stage, and several politically based boycotts prevented some nations from participating in other Olympic Games. In fact, few events […]