Sports Medicine Handbook - NCAA

Depression:
Interventions
for Intercollegiate
Athletics
June 2006
The NCAA Committee on Competitive
Safeguards and Medical
Aspects of Sports acknowledges the
significant input of Sam Maniar,
Licensed Psychologist, The Ohio
State University; Margot Putukian,
Team Physician, Princeton
University; and the National
Institute of Mental Health,
Bethesda, Maryland; for their
original content.
Depression is more than the blues,
let-downs from a game loss, or the
normal daily ups and downs. It’s
feeling “down” and “low” and
“hopeless” for weeks at a time.
Depression is a serious medical
condition.
Little research has been conducted
on depression among studentathletes;
however, preliminary data
indicate that student-athletes
experience depressive symptoms
and illness at similar or increased
rates than non-athlete students.
Ap prox imately 9.5 percent of the
population — or one out of 10
people — suffer from a depressive
illness during any given one-year
period. Women are twice as likely to
experience depression as men;
however, men are less likely to
admit to depression. Moreover, even
GUIDELINE 2o
though the majority of peoples’
depressive disorders can be
im proved, most people with
depression do not seek help.
Depression is important to assess
among student-athletes because it
impacts overall personal well-being,
athletic performance, academic
performance and injury healing. No
two people become de pressed in
exactly the same way, but with the
proper treatment 80 percent of those
who seek help get better, and many
people begin to feel better in just a
few weeks.
Depression and
Intercollegiate Ath letics
Student-athletes may experience
depression because of genetic
predisposition, developmental
challenges of college transitions,
academic stress, financial pressures,
interpersonal difficulties and grief
over loss/failure.
Participation in athletics does not
provide student-athletes any
immunity to these stresses, and it
has the potential to pose additional
de mands. Student-athletes must
balance all of the demands of being
a college student along with
athletics demands. This includes the
physical demands of their sport, and
the time commitment of
participation, strength and
conditioning, and skill instruction.
Most athletes participate almost
year-round, often missing holidays,
school and summer breaks, classes
and even graduation. In addition, if
they struggle in their performance,
have difficulty interacting with the
coach or teammates, or they lose
their passion for their sport, it can
be very difficult to handle. Many
athletes also define themselves by
their role as an athlete, and an injury
can be devastating.
Some attributes of athletics and
competition can make it extremely
difficult for student-athletes to
obtain help. They are taught to “play
through the pain,” struggle through
adversity, handle problems on their
own and “never let your enemies
see you cry.” Seeking help is seen as
a sign of weakness, when it should
be recognized as a sign of strength.
Team dynamics also may be a
factor. Problems often are kept “in
the family,” and it is common for
teams to try to solve problems by
themselves, often ignoring signs or
symptoms of more serious issues.
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