Psychopathology and high level sport

摘要

Context. - Practicing sport regularly provides obvious benefits in health in the broad sense of the term. However, intensive sport activity in particular for high level athletes require vigilance as well as a specific somatic and psychological follow-up.Objectives. -The main goal is to show the psychopathological problems encountered by INSEP's high-level athletes. This database has been created firstly with data from mandatory psychological check-ups, made during the longitudinal medical follow-up and secondly with information taken from psycological care consults.Material et methods. - Four hundred and seventy athletes have taken the psychological assessment consisting of a structured diagnostical interview (MINI) and a clinical interview based on a semi directing interview scale. The consultation is built on different therapies which exist, indeed 310 sportive have been follow-ups between 2002 and 2008 in one of INSEP's psychological consultation.Results. - Anxiety disorders, principally generalized anxiety generalized, and major despression episodes are the dominant pathologies. This has been found in both mandatory psychological check-ups and consults.Conclusion. -The beneficial effects of sports on health are extensive, however it is not an antidote for psychopathological problems, especially in the case of high level athletes. Moreover, we should point out that in no case is sport responsible for the pathology, it is the combination of a sport, a personality and a given context which creates the conditions for the start of the pathology.