September 22, 2009

Recent events in the National Basketball Association (NBA) involving two high profile players, Delonte West and Michael Beasley have highlighted the issue of mental health in the NBA.  And, this is an important step forward, not only for the NBA in specific but for professional sports in general.

Professional athletes are no less likely to suffer from mental disorders than the general population.  We can expect that approximately 10 to 15 percent of professional athletes will have significant and substantial mental health problems, including mental disorders.  The most common mental disorders will be: depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.  A few may have bipolar illness or other psychotic conditions.

These disorders will affect them in both their personal and professional lives.  Athletes living with mental disorders can expect to have the same challenges that people who are not athletes but who are living with mental disorders have.  These include but are not limited to personal problems and decreased job performance.  One important difference however is that professional athletes are very high profile.  Their lives are often lived in a public arena.  When they have problems these are difficulties are known to the many, not only to the few. 

When mental disorders in professional athletes lead them to experience personal and professional difficulties these can be publicly addressed in positive or in negative ways.  One positive way may be for their employers (professional sports teams) or their associations (players associations, professional leagues such as the NBA , the NHL and others) to publicly acknowledge these difficulties – much as they now do with physical illnesses or injuries.  Another way may be for the players themselves to be open about their problems and to discuss them much as they discuss any physical injuries or other similar issues.  Another way may be for the sports media to become more knowledgeable about mental health problems and mental illnesses and to write their stories from a position of understanding.

Mental disorders affect everyone – including professional athletes. How they, their employers and the media handle these issues may have an important impact on how society in general and youth in particular understand mental illness.  Its time for professional sports to get “on side” – so to speak.

-Stan