Mental health problems in elite sport: the difference in the distribution of mental distress and mental disorders among a sample of Norwegian elite athletes

Abstract

Objectives

To, based on diagnostic interviews, investigate the distribution of mental disorders among a sample of Norwegian elite athletes with ‘at-risk scores’ on a self-report questionnaire measuring symptoms of mental health problems. Then, to investigate the relationship between ‘at-risk scores’ and diagnosed mental disorders.

Methods

A two-phase, cross-sectional design was used. In phase 1, 378 elite athletes completed a questionnaire, including validated self-report psychiatric instruments assessing symptoms of mental disorders. In phase 2, we assessed the 30-day presence of the same disorders through diagnostic interviews with the athletes with ‘at-risk scores’ using the fifth version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview.

Results

Two hundred and eighty athletes (74.1%) had an ‘at-risk score,’ and 106 of these athletes (37.9%) completed diagnostic interviews. Forty-seven athletes (44.3%) were diagnosed with a mental disorder. Sleep problems (24.5%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD-related disorders (18.9%), mainly represented by body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), were most common. Anxiety disorders (6.6%), eating disorders (5.7%) and alcohol use disorder (≤4.7%) were less frequent. Affective disorders, gambling and drug use disorder were not present. Results from self-report questionnaires did not, in most cases, adequately mirror the number of mental disorders identified using diagnostic interviews.

Conclusions

Using self-report questionnaires to map mental distress among elite athletes can be beneficial. If the aim, however, is to investigate mental disorders, one should move beyond self-report questionnaires and use diagnostic interviews and diagnostic instruments. In our study, sleep problems and BDD were the most prevalent. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate these findings further.