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A Mental Health Disorder, commonly referred to as a mental health condition or illness, is a term used to cover a wide range of of conditions that affect mood, thinking, and behavior.
Students, as well as student athletes, are prone to mental health disorders when their mental health isn't maintained. Due to stressors such as performance anxiety, pressure to maintain a scholarship, managing schoolwork, social media, home life, etc, the following disorders are common. It is important to educate our student body on these mental illnesses in order to create a safe community of understanding and empathy here at SFSU. Mental health disorders ARE treatable. If you or someone you know is suffering, we encourage you to seek treatment. SFSU endorsed resources can be found on "Our Mission" page.
Anxiety Disorders are among the most common in student athletes. Anxiety disorders can present as feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and sufferers often experience frequent panic attacks.
Panic attacks are events that happen with intense feelings of being overwhelmed, and physical symptoms of racing heart, shakiness, shortness of breath, crying, and sweatiness.
Performance anxiety takes place when someone is having anxiety related to the start of an event where they are expected to perform. Panic attacks are common when someone is experiencing performance anxiety.
Social anxiety takes place when someone is having anxiety related to the beginning of a social event. Panic attacks are also common when someone is experiencing social anxiety.
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Mood disorders consist of major depressive disorder (depression), bi-polar disorder, substance induced depression, or a mood disorder coinciding with a medical condition. Mood disorders CAN be treated. If one is suffering, they should be encouraged to seek treatment to improve the condition of their mental health.
Depression Symptoms include sad moods, loss of interest, sleep and energy disturbance, appetite and weight changes, and impaired concentration, anxiety,
In athletes, a low frustration tolerance, isolation from teammates and lack of enjoyment with deterioration in performance is a part of the presentation with depression as well. Males are more likely to present with anger and excessive alcohol use.
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Personality disorders are fairly common in athletes. The most common personality traits in student-athletes associated with performance are extraversion, perfectionism and narcissism. Symptoms include interpersonal difficulties, impulse control problems, misperception of comments or situations and affective instability, and maladaptive coping skills.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is among the most common in athletes and presents with problems focusing, concentrating, learning, attention shifting and sustained attention. Males tend to be hyperactive, while females more likely will have the inattentive type.
increasing numbers of ADHD may be related to the influences of social media and a rewiring of the brain. This condition may carry into adulthood and can change with age and can be temporary.
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Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance that causes distress. Many people who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder spend lots of time looking in the mirror, and hyperfixating on the flaws they see in their reflection. As a result, they something that other people wouldn't, and it creates a false image of self. For example, a perfectly healthy girl may look in the mirror and see herself as overweight, and a healthy, muscular male may look in the mirror and see someone who is small and weak.
Muscle dysmorphia is a subtype that is characterized by an unhealthy preoccupation with muscularity, mirror checking and dieting. Student-athletes in sports in which large physical size and physique are emphasized are more susceptible to the disorder.
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Psychosomatic Illnesses and presentations include pain without supporting evidence, prolonged recovery from injury, frequent injuries and performance problems. Symptoms are often manifestations of an emotional issue and occur more commonly in collision sports.
Individuals with pain are at increased risk for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use problems and adjustment reactions. A serious injury that leads to chronic functional impairment (or pain) in a student-athlete may manifest as a psychosomatic condition.
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Substance Use Disorders in student-athletes are different than in the general population. Student- athletes most commonly use alcohol, marijuana, opiates, stimulants (such as Adderall), caffeine, tobacco and performance enhancers.
Alcohol and drug use is more common in males and more common in the offseason for all student-athletes. Some of the consequences related to substance use include academic problems, vandalism, assault, injury, driving under the influence, sleep deprivation, sexual abuse and, in severe cases, death.
The brain pathways involved can be reinforced from use and create fundamental changes in the brain. Over time, the effects can hijack the brain. Alcohol and drug use commonly co-occur with mental health problems. Since alcohol is difficult to detect on a drug screen, the effects of alcohol often present with performance problems. Cannabis can be perceived as “safe,” but is detectable for longer periods of time on a drug screen.
Stimulant use [for example, amphetamine/dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methylphenidate (Concerta and Ritalin)] is an increasing problem for student-athletes, especially since they are used for a number of non-medical reasons. Student-athletes who begin using an opiate [for example, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percocet and Oxycontin)] may continue to use it after their medical problems have been resolved.
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Eating Disorders occur in both sexes but are more common in females, and in sports in which lower body weight/fat improves performance or weight is divided into classes. The triad of impaired eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis are the classic features in females.
Full-symptom presentation usually occurs as the eating disorder progresses; however, disordered eating is more common at presentation. As the condition worsens, more impairment occurs. Individuals affected with eating disorders have decreased energy and a special relationship with food.
Eating disorders are more common in gymnastics and swimming/diving, which are judged on aesthetics, and in wrestling, cross country and distance running. Eating disorders can be life-threatening, especially anorexia nervosa.
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