The National Collegiate Athletic Association released last week new guidelines on dealing with the mental health of college athletes, an issue that remains a top concern for the association’s chief medical officer, Brian Hainline.

“Concussions may be the elephant in the room, but mental health is really, I think, going to be a game changer for the NCAA,” he said. “My hope is that mental health is going to become as accessible to every student-athlete as an ankle sprain, and the NCAA is going to take a leadership role in telling the rest of the United States of America how to move away from the pathetic way it handles mental health. And it is pathetic.”

Hainline spoke on Thursday at the NCAA’s annual meeting where he emphasized the importance of mental health. Earlier this month, the NCAA’s Sports Science Institute released a new set of guidelines directing institutions on how to manage the mental health issues surrounding college athletics. Behavior on and off the field are all part of the overall well-being of an athlete.

The new guidelines outline four best practices for the mental health care for college athletes and 24 different mental health agencies weighed in and helped to create the strategies.

The guidelines suggest that colleges implement procedures and clear action plans for dealing with mental health issues including a push for annual mental health screenings for athletes, evaluation of athletes by licensed practitioners and education that will help athletes to recognize symptoms of mental health disorders. The guidelines also address substance abuse and aggressive and risky behaviors that according to a study by the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, says that athletes demonstrate more aggressive behavior and risky behavior than non-athletes.
I think the study and the new guidelines are a vital step in the right direction.

LINKS
Mental Health of College Athletes

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Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.