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Sports psychiatrists specialize in treating athletes and their unique situations, such as dealing with success or failure, unrealistic expectations, and interpersonal relationships. They can diagnose and treat mental disorders, prescribe medication, and provide psychotherapy. They can also help athletes recognize and address issues such as substance abuse, eating disorders, and aging.
A psychiatrist is a physician who has completed additional clinical training in the form of residency and is certified by examination by psychiatry. A sports psychiatrist specializes in treating amateur or professional athletes and situations unique to their careers. While psychologists and psychiatrists have always treated athletes individually as needed, the recognition of sport psychiatry as a separate specialty from psychiatry is relatively recent. Dealing with failure or success, self-discipline efforts, unrealistic expectations and interpersonal relationships are all issues that can be addressed by a sports psychiatrist. Relationships that may require attention include those an athlete has with their family, teammates, coach, agent, and fans.
Many successful professional athletes have achieved mastery in their respective sports by demonstrating extreme self-discipline. This personality and behavior trait can morph into a dysfunctional form of perfectionism under certain circumstances, such as failing to achieve goals or continually redefining acceptable performance at an ever-higher level. A sports psychiatrist is familiar with these processes and can diagnose an underlying depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder if these mental disorders are part of this scenario. As a physician, a sports psychiatrist can prescribe psychiatric medications as needed. If an athlete’s perfectionism is a personality disorder, a sports psychiatrist may begin psychotherapy with the patient or refer the patient to a sports psychologist for talk therapy.
The adulation that many professional athletes receive from their fans can negatively influence their personal relationships with friends, family, and significant others if an athlete begins to believe that all of their relationships must follow the athlete-fan model. A sports psychiatrist may recognize martial problems, serious relationships, or continual family interruptions as possible indicators of this misunderstanding on the part of the athlete. Cognitive therapy provided by a psychiatrist or sports psychologist can help an athlete recognize this distortion if they are open to examining or changing their self-image. Sport psychiatry can promote stability in an athlete’s relationship with friends and family based on recognition and treatment of this syndrome. This stability can be a huge asset to an athlete working in an ever-changing work environment.
Other areas of focus for a sports psychiatrist may include substance abuse, eating disorders, recovery from physical injuries, and issues surrounding aging and money. Aging and recovering from physical injuries will inevitably come up in any athlete’s career. Your ability to deal with these issues constructively depends on healthy self-esteem and stable relationships. In the absence of such, an individual may resort to substance abuse or other areas of dependency. A sports psychiatrist is trained to recognize these harmful coping methods and has techniques for successful intervention.
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