Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149:606-614
Copyright © 1992 by American Psychiatric Association
An overview of sport psychiatry
D Begel
Department of Psychiatry, Medical College of Wisconsin 53226.
OBJECTIVE: Although the application of psychiatric methods and principles
to sports is relatively unsystematic at this time, athletic behavior
presents several issues of interest to psychiatry. The aim of this paper is
to provide a framework for understanding the developmental, occupational,
pathologic, therapeutic, and research aspects of sport psychiatry. METHOD:
Studies in psychiatry, psychology, and psychoanalysis provide the basis for
this overview, and nonscientific works are cited where they illuminate
various issues. Illustrative case examples are also reported. RESULTS: It
is proposed, but not proven, that athletes undergo phase-specific
development and that they may suffer impairments in adapting to the
athletic context. This context may also modify treatment modalities.
CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for more clinical studies of athletes,
especially in the realms of childhood traumas, competitive issues, and
mental illnesses. Because of the close relationship of mental and physical
phenomena in sports and because athletic behaviors are often precisely
measurable, athletics may constitute a fruitful area for psychiatric
research.
