By Diane Herbst
Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, has acknowledged that after the 2012 games, his longtime depression was so overwhelming he thought about killing himself.
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It is a common perception that athletes, by virtue of their athletic endeavors, are somehow immune to depression and other mood disorders. Though there is not enough research yet to definitively refute this belief, it is very likely that this is not true.
For the first time in forever, Nathan Adrian truly has no idea if he’ll have a strong swim Friday. And at this point, it doesn’t really matter to the five-time Olympic gold medalist. He’s simply elated to be back.
‘Skin cancer worked its way into my lymph nodes. I was devastated.’
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Injuries, while hopefully infrequent, are often an unavoidable part of sport participation. While most injuries can be managed with little to no disruption in sport participation and other activities of daily living, some impose a substantial physical and mental burden.
Tracy Ward explores some of the neurological and behavioural changes that pain can bring about, and the implications for clinicians with athletes in their care.
The unspoken truths of physically and emotionally injured athletes.
Many athletes have Olympic-sized dreams, but in reality, only a handful actually make it that far. It takes the perfect combination of discipline, dedication, persistence, talent, skill — and even luck — to successfully compete in the world’s biggest competitive arena.
“There will be a struggle between the mind and body, between attending to the physical injury and maintaining identity by continuing to train.”
“We need to do a better job of addressing mental as well as physical aspects of athletic injuries,” sports psychologist Matthew Sacco, PhD, says.
Struggles with anxiety and depression can affect anyone—even the greatest performers in sports