Open AccessCanadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) Position Statement: Principles of Mental Health in Competitive and High-Performance Sport
Author(s) -
Krista J. Van Slingerland,
Natalie DurandBush,
Lindsay Bradley,
Gary S. Goldfield,
Roger Archambault,
D. E. Smith,
Carla Edwards,
Samantha Delenardo,
Shaunna Taylor,
Penny Werthner,
Göran Kenttä
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
clinical journal of sport medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1536-3724
pISSN - 1050-642X
DOI - 10.1097/jsm.0000000000000665
Subject(s) - mental health , position statement , athletes , competitive athletes , multidisciplinary approach , public relations , mission statement , participatory action research , citizen journalism , applied psychology , psychology , medicine , political science , psychiatry , sociology , family medicine , physical therapy , social science , law , anthropology
The brave decision made by many Canadian athletes to share their experience with mental illness has fed a growing dialogue surrounding mental health in competitive and high-performance sport. To affect real change for individuals, sport culture must change to meet demands for psychologically safe, supportive, and accepting sport environments. This position statement addresses mental health in competitive and high-performance sport in Canada, presenting solutions to current challenges and laying a foundation for a unified address of mental health by the Canadian sport community. The paper emerged from the first phase of a multidisciplinary Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, in which a sport-focused mental health care model housed within the Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport (CCMHS) is currently being designed, implemented, and evaluated by a team of 20 stakeholders, in collaboration with several community partners and advisors.