Protecting the mental health of athletes

AND THEN WE’RE DRYING OUT FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. SANDRA, THANK YOU. NAOMI OSAKA, SIMONE BILES, KEVIN LOVE. JUST A FEW OF THE ATHLETES THAT HAVE REALLY SPOKEN OUT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH ATHLETES ARE KNOWN FOR PRESERVING OR PERSEVERING, IF YOU WILL, THROUGH PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES WITHOUT SHOWING ANY VULNERABILITY. NOW THEY’RE CHANGING THE CONVERSATION ABOUT HANDLING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. AND HERE TO TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT ATHLETES CAN REALLY GET HELP WITH TREATING MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IS DR. RAPHAEL WALD, A NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST WITH MARCUS NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE AT BOCA RATON REGIONAL HOSPITAL. AL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR. WE ALWAYS LOVE HAVING YOU ON THE SHOW TO HEAR YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED IN YOUR PROFESSION OVER THE LAST, THE LAST 5 TO 10 YEARS. WHEN IT COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH AND ATHLETES? YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THE CHANGES THAT I’VE NOTICED HAVE BASICALLY BEEN POSITIVE ON THE WHOLE. I THINK THAT ATHLETES ARE A LOT MORE OPEN TO GETTING HELP THAN THEY USED TO BE IN THE PAST. I THINK THAT COACHES IN GENERAL ARE A LOT MORE ACCEPTING AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN THOSE ATHLETES NEED HELP, AND I THINK THAT THAT ONLY HELPS PEOPLE GET BETTER IN GENERAL. SO THAT’S BASICALLY BEEN THE TREND THAT I’VE SEEN AND I’M REALLY PLEASED WITH IT. YOU KNOW, I FEEL LIKE MENTAL HEALTH ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH WHEN IT COMES TO PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES, ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH, WHEN IT COMES TO EVEN COLLEGIATE ATHLETES, ESPECIALLY BIG UNIVERSITIES. BUT, YOU KNOW, HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS, EVEN INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL, YOUNGER, IT’S A BIG DEAL. I MEAN, PEOPLE PUT A LOT OF TIME, MONEY, EFFORT INTO IT. SO THOSE STUDENTS NEED ATTENTION, TOO. DO YOU THINK THE ATTENTION FOR MENTAL HEALTH IS AS BEING SERVED, PERHAPS AT A AT A SMALLER LEVEL, LIKE HIGH SCHOOL? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I THINK THAT THE PRESSURE ON PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES OBVIOUSLY IS HUGE BECAUSE OF THE SPOTLIGHT. BUT THE THE PRESSURE THAT COLLEGE AND HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES FEEL IS HUGE AS WELL, JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE FACING ALL OF THE SAME STRESSES THAT YOUR AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENT ARE FACING, IN ADDITION TO THE, YOU KNOW, WAKE UP AT SIX IN THE MORNING AND, YOU KNOW, GET SUITED UP, PRACTICE, PRACTICE, LIFT TEAM MEETING, MAYBE EAT IF YOU HAVE TIME TO DO THAT, THEN HAVE A SECOND PRACTICE IN THE AFTERNOON, TRY TO SQUEEZE IN HOMEWORK. SO THERE’S A LOT MORE PRESSURE ON THOSE ON THOSE ATHLETES. AND THERE ARE NORMAL STUDENTS, BUT THEY DON’T HAVE JUST THE ATHLETICS TO WORRY ABOUT. THEY ALSO HAVE THE ACADEMICS. SO THERE’S A TON OF PRESSURE AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY HAVE SCHOLARSHIPS THAT ARE RIDING ON THEIR PERFORMANCE. SO THAT ADDS EVEN MORE PRESSURE TO IT. I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE A COLLEGE ATHLETE, SO I KNOW WHAT IT WAS LIKE. YOU HAD NO GAME FILM. YOU HAD WEIGHTS, YOU HAD PRACTICE, YOU HAD STUDY TABLES, YOU HAD CLASS, YOU HAD ALL THAT TRAVEL. AND SO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TREATMENTS THAT YOU HAVE SEEN THAT ACTUALLY WORK WITH SOME OF THESE ATHLETES. WELL, A LOT OF THE TREATMENTS WHEN WE’RE TALKING ABOUT ACTUAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS RATHER THAN PERFORMANCE ISSUES, A LOT OF THE TREATMENTS ARE SIMILAR. YOU JUST REALLY NEED TO HAVE A CLINICIAN THAT HAS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRESSURES THAT ATHLETES DO EXPERIENCE AND DO GO THROUGH. I THINK THAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT. BUT A LOT OF THE TALK THERAPIES LIKE COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND WHEN IT’S APPROPRIATE, ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION LIKE SSRIS ALSO ARE VERY EFFECTIVE IN ATHLETES. THESE THINGS JUST SORT OF TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THE PRESSURE AND THE STRESS OFF. SO THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON THE THINGS THAT THEY NEED TO FOCUS ON. I THINK AS AN ATHLETE, YOU THINK A LOT ABOUT TOUGH NESS, MENTAL TOUGHNESS, BUT THAT’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN BEING MENTALLY TOUGH AND PUSHING THROUGH, BUT ALSO ACKNOWLEDGING WHEN THERE MAY BE MORE OF A MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGE. SO IF YOU WERE GOING TO SPEAK TO PARENTS OUT THERE WHO ARE REALLY WATCHING THEIR THEIR CHILD AS THEY’RE GOING THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL, PERHAPS EVEN TO COLLEGE, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM ABOUT WALKING THAT FINE LINE? YEAH, LOOK FOR CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR FOR THAT’S REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES ATHLETES IN PARTICULAR ARE KIND OF USED TO THAT MENTAL TOUGHNESS ASPECT OF IT, AND THEY’RE USED TO THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, I JUST HAVE TO TOUGH THIS OUT AND THIS IS IN THEIR MINDS, THIS MIGHT BE NORMAL. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH. BUT FOR PARENTS, YOU KNOW, YOUR KIDS. SO IF YOU’RE NOTICING CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR LIKE THEY’RE SHOWING UP LATE FOR THINGS THEY’RE GETTING SICK MORE FREQUENTLY. THEY’RE ASKING OUT OF PRACTICE MORE FREQUENTLY THAN THEY NORMALLY DO. AND THERE’S NOT REALLY AN INJURY OR A MEDICAL REASON FOR IT IF THEY’RE ACTING OUT. ANY OF THOSE SORTS OF THINGS CAN BE SIGNALS THAT SOMETHING IS CHANGING. BUT PARENTS, YOU HAVE THE BENEFIT AND THE ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING YOUR CHILD. SO IF YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT’S OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR YOUR CHILD, THAT’S THE TIME TO SORT OF INQUIRE AND TRY TO ASK IF SOMETHING IS GOING ON, IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP REALLY, REALLY GOOD INFORMATION IMPORTANT FOR PARENTS OUT THERE, ANY COACHES WHO ARE WATCHING. SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHT. WE APPRECIATE IT. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT TH

Many professional athletes have spoken out about mental health in sports. Dr. Raphael Wald, a neuropsychologist, weighs in. Click here for more information on the Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.Get the latest health updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.WATCH: How therapy dog are boosting the mental health of Greenacres firefighters

Get the latest health updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.

WATCH: How therapy dog are boosting the mental health of Greenacres firefighters

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Protecting the mental health of athletes

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