Concussions Linked to Mental Health Issues Among Sport Players

We all love sports, at least most of us do. Even if we don't play, we tend to enjoy the thrill...the rush. But for the players themselves, all of that can come at a cost to their mental health.

How?

In certain sports like football and ice hockey, concussions occur every so often. These are highly physical sports, and players collide, with head injuries not impossible.

A new study suggests that athletes who suffer concussions are more likely to experience mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

In the study from Lund University Sweden, ice hockey players with a history of concussion report heightened mental health symptoms and alcohol use. 1 in 5 female hockey players also experience burnout.

The researchers studied 648 players in total, 180 of them women, in Sweden's highest hockey divisions. The research was based on a questionnaire.

For female hockey players, they noticed symptoms of burnout about two times more than in Swedish women on average.

Male and female players reported consuming alcohol to levels that put them at risk.

But arguably the most striking finding was this:

Among hockey players who have experienced up to three concussions, the risk of depression doubled, and the risk of burnout was 3.5 times higher than in other players.

More worrisome is the fact that about 1 in 5 players have suffered at least three concussions.

That means about 20% of ice hockey players may be at risk of depression.

Before you say, "Oh, sport's bad and must be stopped!" there's a silver lining.

The good news

In the study, male hockey players were found to have significantly fewer symptoms of depression/anxiety and burnout than other men.

Perhaps, this may be due to the mental health benefits of physical activity and being part of a community.

Or could it be something else?

Male hockey players are known to perceive themselves as bigger and tougher than most men. So, could it be that they underreported their mental health issues in order to show toughness?

And for female players who suffer burnout even without concussion, could that be due to the fact they juggle sport with other activities because they're paid less than male athletes?

Whatever the case, being an active sportsperson can indeed expose you to mental health challenges. But you need to know there's help when you need it. And you mustn't feel ashamed about that.

"Not having to feel alone in your state of mind is important," concluded Mitchell Andersson, a doctoral student in psychiatry at Lund University.

Whether or not you're an athlete, if you're going through depression and anxiety and unsure who to tell for fear of it becoming news, we can help.

At Hope Mental Health, we provide safe, effective, and confidential care for a wide range of mental health challenges.

Your feelings matter too, and you deserve care.

Come talk to us today.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.  Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.