By Matt Hardy
The number of elite athletes being referred for medication-related dependency and underlying mental health issues has increased by 300 per cent in 10 years, according to a leading clinic in the field.
Mental health problems such as ADHD, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and burnout are becoming much more common in sportspeople, reports Paracelsus Recovery.
“We know this is a growing problem because we have noticed a 300 per cent increase in referrals for professional athletes struggling with a medication-related dependency over the last decade,” Paracelsus Recovery founder Jan Gerber said.
“Many athletes develop a kind of tunnel vision where all they are focused on is pushing their bodies to their limits. As a result, they can sometimes develop a misguided belief that they can power through cravings for medication, just like they can power through everything else.
“The opioids that we see athletes ending up using – codeine, morphine, oxycodone, tramadol, diamorphine – are highly addictive. They decrease the deception of pain and create a feeling of euphoria.”
Substance abuse issues can also occur as a means of managing a mental health issue, says Paracelsus Recovery, adding that that up to 10 per cent of all pro athletes have been diagnosed with ADHD compared to just four per cent of the general population.
The use of powerful medication – such as anaesthetic injections – is not uncommon in sport. Tennis star Rafael Nadal was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon this summer despite using injections to manage his Mueller-Weiss Syndrome – a cause of foot pain.
Mental health issues have also become more prominent in high-level sports with the likes of tennis ace Naomi Osaka, gymnastic star Simone Biles and England Test cricket captain Ben Stokes all openly talking about their problems in recebt years.
But Paracelsus’ focus on opioid use points to a worrying trend of growing addiction.
“There is an epidemic of opioid use which often starts with some kind of sports injury or accident,” said Dr Anna Erat, a former researcher at Harvard and current Paracelsus Recovery consultant.
“There’s a widespread belief that what you get over the counter is harmless, and that’s simply not true.
“We have seen acute kidney failure caused by poor pain management and prolonged use of painkillers such as ibuprofen or Advil.
“In some of these athletes suffering from painkiller addiction, we also see underlying mental health issues.”
Dr Erat added that it is therefore paramount for sports organisations to have robust “pre-season medical screening to nip potential addiction problems and mental health issues in the bud”.
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