Anxiety Disorders in Athletes

Abstract

Athletes and non-athletes experience many anxiety-related symptoms and disorders at comparable rates. Contributory factors may include pressure to perform, public scrutiny, sporting career dissatisfaction, injury, and harassment and abuse in sport. Anxiety may negatively impact sport performance. Specific types of anxiety may have unique presentations in athletes. It is important to rule out general medical and substance-related causes of anxiety symptoms. Psychotherapy and pharmacology treatment options should be considered, bearing in mind athletes' environmental circumstances and physiologies.

Keywords: Anxiety; Athletes; Generalized anxiety; Panic disorder; Performance anxiety; Psychiatry; Psychology; Sport.