Although there is evidence that in sport success is negatively related with psychopathology (Morgan 1985), athletes are not protected against mental and behavioral disorders.  A tendency to idealize athletes leads to a general assumption that athletes rarely suffer from mental illness. Similarly, athletes tend  to conceal their potential signs of weakness. (more…)

The main mood disorders are major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder. MDD is a period of at least 2 weeks during which there is either depressed mood or the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities, accompanied by other symptoms such as insomnia and changes in appetite, energy and concentration. (more…)

Eating disorders (ED) include anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). (more…)

Apart from the single study on social anxiety disorder, anxiety disorders, including social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and specific phobias, have been minimally studied in athletes. (more…)