scholarly journals Professional Sport and Initial Mental Health Public Disclosure Narratives

2020 ◽  
pp. 216747952097731
Author(s):  
Christopher Elsey ◽  
Peter Winter ◽  
Susan Jayne Litchfield ◽  
Sharon Ogweno ◽  
James Southwood

The disclosure of absences from professional sporting activities to the media is a routine and generally unproblematic part of a sporting career. However, when the reason for the absence relates to mental health concerns, players can encounter difficulties in trying to define, describe and conceptualise their own issues while attempting to maintain privacy as they undergo assessment and treatment. Drawing on ethnomethodology and conversation analysis principles and methods, this paper explores first/initial public mental health disclosure narratives produced by players and sporting organizations across several professional sports via media interviews, press statements, and social media posts. The analysis focuses on (in)voluntary accounts produced by teams or players themselves during their careers and examines the different communication strategies they employ to categorise and explain their predicament. The analysis reveals how some players provide partial or proxy public disclosure announcements (due to a desire to mask issues or delayed help-seeking and assessment), whereas others prefer fuller disclosure of the problems experienced, including diagnoses and on-going treatment and therapy regimes. The paper outlines the consequences of these disclosure strategies and considers the implications they can have for a player’s wellbeing in these stressful circumstances.

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2156759X1201600 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Heather Thompson ◽  
Phyllis Robertson ◽  
Russ Curtis ◽  
Melodie H. Frick

Anxiety is one of the most pervasive mental health concerns affecting students, yet a significant number of students with anxiety disorders remain underserved. If left untreated, anxiety can hinder students' personal/social, academic, and career development. The purpose of this article is to provide professional school counselors with helpful information about the etiology of anxiety disorders and brief, evidence-based prevention and intervention options. The authors discuss specific recommendations for the identification, assessment, and treatment of anxiety that fit within the unique school environment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 346-362
Author(s):  
Corinne A Isaak ◽  
Natalie Mota ◽  
Maria Medved ◽  
Laurence Y Katz ◽  
Brenda Elias ◽  
...  

This qualitative study explored the fit between on-reserve First Nations community members’ conceptualizations of help-seeking for mental health concerns and the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Youth, adults and elders (N = 115) living and or working in eight distinct First Nations communities within a tribal council area in Canada participated in focus groups or individual interviews that were transcribed, coded and then analyzed using a thematic analysis approach informed by grounded theory methodology. Resulting themes were then mapped onto the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. Participants’ conceptualizations of predisposing characteristics including social structures, health beliefs and mental illness, enabling and impeding resources had a high degree of fit with the model. While perspectives on perceived need for mental health care, and spirituality as a health and lifestyle practice had only moderate fit with the model, these domains could be modified to fit First Nations’ interpretations of help-seeking. Participants’ perceptions of avoidant strategies and non-use of mental health services, however did not map onto the model. These findings suggest conceptualizations of help-seeking for mental health issues in these First Nations communities are only partially characterized by the Andersen Behavioral Model, suggesting there are a number of considerations to Indigenize the model. Findings also highlight potential explanations for why some members of this population may not access or receive appropriate mental health treatment. Multi-pronged efforts are warranted to link culturally normed pathways of help-seeking with effective mental health supports for First Nations community members in Canada.


2004 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Cosgrave ◽  
Eóin Killackey ◽  
Alison Yung ◽  
Joe Buckby ◽  
Katherine Godfrey ◽  
...  

AbstractMental health problems affect a sizeable minority of Australian adolescents. Depression and substance use disorders are common mental disorders reported in this age group. Difficulties of this nature that manifest in adolescence will often continue into adulthood. This report describes a sample of adolescents referred to a public mental health service with respect to their psychiatric diagnoses, depressive symptoms, patterns of substance use and level of suicidality. Mood disorders and substance-use disorders were both prevalent in the sample of participants, with sizeable comorbidity reflected in the number ol participants meeting criteria for both of these diagnoses. Data revealed participants with a psychiatric diagnosis were significantly more likely to have made a suicide attempt than those with no diagnosis. High levels of depressive symptoms were associated with suicidality, illicit substance use, and the likelihood of having a psychiatric diagnosis. Heavy use of alcohol was prevalent in this group, but unrelated to the other variables of interest to the study. These results are discussed with respect to the importance of early detection of vulnerable students in a school setting.


Social Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-122
Author(s):  
Carol A Leung

Abstract Suicide was the ninth leading cause of death for Asian Americans in 2017. The growth of Asian American populations has led to more discussions about suicide prevention efforts. A 128-item needs assessment survey was administered at cultural events in 10 predominantly immigrant Asian communities. In five years, 1,840 respondents (61 percent response rate) filled out the survey anonymously to express their health and mental health concerns. This study aims to identify factors and help-seeking behaviors associated with having suicidal concerns among Asian Americans in various subgroups. Among the respondents, 1,314 rated the intensity of their concerns about suicide with an average of 0.74 (SD = 1.11) on a four-point rating scale in that 13.7 percent rated their concerns as severe. Taiwanese respondents expressed the highest intensity score (1.09) compared with other ethnic groups (from 0.29 to 1.04). A logistic regression analysis found that each unit of health concerns on a four-point rating scale significantly increases the likelihood of suicide concerns by 46 times among Asian Americans. Consistent with previous studies, immigrants were likely to share mental health problems with friends and physicians. Effective suicide prevention requires mental health awareness programming for the Asian American community.


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Byrne

Aspects of print, broadcast, film and ‘new media’ are related to their interactions with psychiatry. Frequent representations of mental health issues are paralleled by the adoption of psychological theories into media studies. Key areas are covered where psychiatric items diverge from other medical specialities, such as the depiction of suicide, the dominance of ‘human interest’ stories and negative representation of people with mental illness. Although the language of mental disorders is important, the power of the image needs to be examined. Media items also have implications for public mental health (children as vulnerable viewers) and the clinical practice of psychiatry that are not uniformly negative. Television has limitations and clinicians are encouraged to participate in radio and other media. Resources and practical advice for media contact are provided.


2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gus Norris ◽  
Roy Laube

Objective: Maladaptive help-seeking behaviour in psychiatric patients is a significant problem for public mental health services, yet it is not addressed in the mainstream literature. We present a report on the successful treatment of a person with schizophrenia who displayed this common dilemma for patients and clinicians. Clinical picture: A 31-year-old man with borderline intellectual functioning had a 10-year history of schizophrenia marked by negative features. He frequently presented in crisis to public mental health services, the local hospital, and his general practitioner; this resulted in excessive use of services, including admissions. Treatment: The patient was reassessed from a cognitive-behavioural perspective rather than a syndromal perspective. Specific behaviours were modified, cognitions were identified, challenged and restructured, and other service providers were provided with an alternative to admission or acute community care. Outcome: At 24 months the maladaptive behaviour remains in remission. Conclusions: Behavioural problems in persons with chronic schizophrenia may be effectively treated by reconceptualising the behaviour as distinct from the major diagnosis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 025371762110345
Author(s):  
Jemimah A. Johnson ◽  
Prachi Sanghvi ◽  
Seema Mehrotra

Background: Despite the high prevalence of mental health disorders worldwide, a significant proportion of distressed individuals do not seek professional help. Digital technology can be a potential bridge to reduce the treatment gap for mental disorders. A systematic review was undertaken to examine the technology-based interventions aimed at improving help-seeking attitude, intention, or behavior for mental health concerns. Methods: The literature search was conducted in January–February 2020 through various e-databases using relevant keywords that targeted help-seeking interventions for mental health disorders via different technology modes. Results: 21 studies (15 randomized controlled trials and six non-randomized studies) were reviewed. The included studies were published between April 2006 to February 2020. Majority of the interventions led to an increase in the help-seeking variables. The crucial role of online delivery, participant involvement, and embedded links to professional services in encouraging help-seeking is highlighted. The review emphasizes the need for understanding utility of multicomponent interventions with personalized elements targeting help-seeking behavior, particularly in low-middle-income countries, and studies involving longer duration follow-ups. Conclusion: This systematic review is the first of its kind to examine technology-based interventions to improve help-seeking for mental health and suggests that such interventions play a crucial role in positively impacting help-seeking. The complex interplay between the relevant variables such as mental health literacy, stigma, help-seeking attitude, intention and behavior, and the intervention components that may have a differential bearing on these variables are issues that merit urgent attention in further research.


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