Discussing Mental Health in Athletes with 3 Experts

On this episode of the AMSSM Sports Medcast, hosts Dr. Corinne Rivard, DO, and Dr. Taryn Ryan, MD, are joined by three experts to discuss several key factors regarding mental health in athletes.

The panel of experts includes Chelsea Morales, PsyD; Samantha Morris, PsyD; and Andrew Toce, MEd, MBA, LPC, CMPC, and in this conversation, they address the following topics and questions about athlete mental health:

• Explaining some of the roles and stressors that contribute to mental health injuries in athletes
• How physicians can play a role in improving an athlete’s mental health
• Who should be part of the mental health team supporting athletes?
• What are some go-to mental health resources that student-athletes can utilize?
• Examining the link between physiological response to physical injury or illness
• What language can physicians use to address trauma and underfueling in athletes?
• Beneficial advice on how to navigate the complex world of social media

Additional Resources

Mental Health Issues and Psychological Factors in Athletes: Detection, Management, Effect on Performance and Prevention: AMSSM Position Statement—Executive Summary: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/4/216.full

Mental Health Best Practices from the NCAA Sport Science Institute: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2016/5/2/mental-health-best-practices.aspx

2023 International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs): https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/17/1073