Many people in the world face depression on a daily basis. But, people often do not realize that athletes sometimes get the worst end of the straw. Many studies have been done to show that although some athletes may have depression caused by sports, overall playing any sport, including volleyball, can help an athlete overcome their depression. Depression is a serious illness that has been tracked through human emotion since the 1890’s. Matt Anderson has been playing on the USA men’s volleyball team since 2008. Just a few years ago, in the middle of his career, Anderson took a break from volleyball to focus on himself. In an interview with NBC Sports, Anderson stated that he developed his depression due to the “homesickness” (Zaccardi), not
Because of these factors student athletes can be at a higher risk of anxiety and depression.
Men and women are psychologically different in many ways. Some of these differences include competitiveness, goal orientation, self-confidence, motivation, mental toughness, incentives, preferences, etc. According to Anne Bowker in Sports Participation and Self-Esteem, Men have an advantage over women in sports because they're more aggressive and have higher self-esteem (2003).
An exercise intervention could be used especially because people who are depressed feel a sense of worthlessness (as in the definition of depression, DSM-V ) . A pilot study by Nadine McGale et al (2011) investigated the effectiveness of a team-based sport with an individual exercise and a control condition of young men. This study included a 10-week randomized control trial and an 8-week post intervention follow-up. A group of 104 sedentary males (exercise once or less per week) aged between 18 and 40 years were randomly assigned to the three groups namely the team-based sport, individual exercise and the control group (that received no intervention). The participants completed the Becks Depression Inventory- 2nd
Many studies have been done to find the benefits of athletics in high school students in years past, but a more significant topic presently is the effect that it has on suicide prevention. Being a part of a team gives social connections to students that they can lean on for anything they might need. Whether it be for physical or emotional needs. Both teammates and coaches give moral support to each other during both in and out of season. (Benefits of Sports) For ages 10-24 and 12-18, suicide is the second preeminent cause of death in adolescents. (Youth Suicide) A study was done by a group of people to analyze the correlation between athletic participation and suicidal tendencies. The data used is based on the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey,
Depression is a mental health disorder that interferes with the physical and psychological well-being of an individual. ‘About 1 in 5 adults have a mental illness in any given year. Mental illness can begin at any age, from childhood through to later adult years, but most begin in teen life.’ (Staff, n.d.) The stress of school and the expectation that parents have for their children is high. This can put a lot of pressure on students, it can effect their everday life, work and relationships. These issues can also heavily affect adults too. Its hard enough as it is for everday people to deal with depression but when you’re an elite athlete this can be a real problem. Athletes are at risk for depression as they’re in high pressure sporting events, there’s also personal and team expectations. Individual disposition may increase bouts of mental health issues in athletes. Also the media has a big influence in the lives of athletes and can be brutal to an athlete.
Depression is a psychological response to common sports injuries because some players can get very sad when they see their teammates playing without them. They can be constantly sad as they are not doing exercise, physical activity lets off a ‘feel good’ hormone. So by not exercising this hormone cannot be felt. Individual’s energy levels can be very low when not doing exercise.
In America, people are so concerned for the mental health of their football players, that other sports, like hockey, go unchecked in the mental health department. The idea that one physical sport is more dangerous than another is not something that people should humor. Every physical activity has a level of danger. Ignoring the possibility of injury in one sport while bringing to light injuries of another is misleading and causes a lack of concern in the sport that is being hidden. The sports organizations involved should not be ignoring the issues, sweeping the concern of others away as if shooing at a fly. Something needs to be done about the ignorance of the people. Something needs to be started so that both sports have the chance to make their games safer and better for every single person that decides to follow their dreams of playing in either the NFL or NHL.
The crowd is going nuts, he made the winning basket, and the Warriors win! This sounds a lot like an athlete at the high school level of sports winning the game and everyone gets excited. High school is the primary years of learning a sport and finding your talents. As you enter college and continue to do sports, you find that your talent is met with many other people who also are good at a particular sport. Sports can be anything including basketball, football, soccer, badminton, tennis, ping pong, and even cross country skiing. You are considered an athlete if you participate in any sport. So being named an athlete is an honor because your skills are put to the test at all ages which leads to the question of: does aging bring only
The negative impact mental health has had on student-athletes is a continuous problem across the globe and has been a topic of interest in the research world for many years. The stigma behind mental health have lead to symptoms of depression and anxiety, reluctance to seek help, the sense of helplessness and loneliness and many more. In a student-athlete, these stress levels are brought upon the individual for multiple reasons. For example, student-athletes have to accomplish a certain degree of success both on the playing field and in the classroom (A.P. , Deitrick, J.M. , & Reynolds, E. (2016). Maintaining a required average and playing time can become not only physically but mentally exhausting. This literature review will discuss the barriers and facilitators to mental health in student-athletes and how the stigmatization of those student-athletes who suffer from a mental illness have an impact on their everyday life.
Throughout youth sports there is a lot of stress that comes along with playing a game that is supposed to be fun. Stress not only harms the body physically, but it harms it emotionally. There are all sorts of stressors that come from youth sports, stress can cause anger, anxiety, fear happiness, and pride.
Before exploring the health of an athlete its important to understand what mental health is. Mental health is characterised by emotional wellbeing and resilience to stress (ClearingHouseForSport Australian Government Ralph Richards 9th June 2016). Mentally healthy individuals are able to cope with daily stresses and fully participate in family, work and in this case sport activities. A mental disorder is a diagnosable illness that affects a persons thinking, emotional state and behaviour and disrupts his/her ability to carry out normal daily activities and maintain personal relationships. Exercise has many benefits, not only for physical health but also your mental health as well. In the brain, exercise stimulates chemicals that improve an
The ability for high school sports to give athletes a break from the classroom allows them to clear their minds. Students have the chance to forget about the things that may be bothering them as well as allowing them to have fun for a bit. Research shows that the movement of the brain’s physiology has an effect on the way that a person does things throughout their life. In fact, a study shows that people who have been physically activity or have participated in sports when they were younger are happier because they have been releasing endorphins which releases stress. Stress is the leading cause of depression in the United States and by exercising, the rate of stress in which a person has can be lowered. High school sports does not just benefit a person's mental health but also a person's physical health.
It has been identified that through sports psychology one can improve their physical ability and performance. Sports psychology is the study of how the mind, mental states and behaviour effect sporting performance. There are several sport psychology techniques, which have helped me become a better volleyball player. These techniques include planning for performance, controlling arousal levels, mental rehearsal and concentration.
For High Performance athletes, there can be a lot riding on their results and performance in competition. If athletes develop an over-reliance on sporting success as a source of self-worth and identity, it can lead to serious emotional issues if things do not go as desired. Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to perform, and performance failure has been significantly associated with depression (Taylor, 2015 pg.11; Troijan, 2016, pg. 137) Athletes face many struggles and when something goes wrong it can leave them not knowing where to turn for help. They can be left with they feelings that they are nothing, undeserving, and alone. This may also exacerbate their feelings of seclusion, depression, or grief. Most athletes
Youth sports are an incredibly healthy way for kids to grow and release energy. Children in preschool can begin to take part in sports like dance and soccer, and as they grow older, the lists of sports gets longer. However, there are negatives of sports that are often not talked about by parents, coaches, schools, or the media. As a result, stigmatization occurs, leaving children struggling with sports to suffer alone. With youth sports, elevated levels of stress occur, and as a consequence, mental health can decline. Youth sports can have an adverse psychological effect on young athletes and it is an effect that can be damaging for children for their entire lives.