Private sports psychiatry – treatment of mental disorders in competitive athletes

The causes that lead to mental illness in competitive athletes are various. Often, sport-specific stress factors such as a permanent exceeding of physical limits, the high pressure to perform in competition, and the high expectations of sponsors lead to excessive demands and psychological problems. The many years of discipline and renunciation, as well as personal limitations, contribute to the athletes’ permanent stress. Training times that are too tightly scheduled and nutrition plans that do not allow enough time for breaks and regeneration also contribute to the strain.

Often, age also plays a decisive role, as competitive athletes begin excessive training when they are particularly vulnerable to mental illness. Because they grow up in a competitive environment, people of the same age are often seen as competitors, which often leads to isolation and loneliness.

Competitive team sports, in particular, can also represent a further stress component. This is because, in a team, you not only bear the responsibility for success for yourself but for all team members who rely on you. This increases the pressure from the outside to achieve the best performance.

This variety of causes leads to the fact that competitive athletes often suffer from mental disorders. The most common mental disorders include

• An excess of performance pressure often accompanies depression and burnout
• Sleep disorders
• Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders (e.g., fear of failure)
• Eating disorders such as anorexia
• Addictive disorders