The International Society for Sport Psychiatry (ISSP) is looking forward to our annual meeting in San Diego at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in May 2007.  Our scientific session and business meeting will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2007 from 2-5 PM at the Hilton Gaslamp (401 K Street) in the Pacific Room on the Terrace Level.  The ISSP Symposium will be held Monday, May 21 from 2-5 PM in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 8, Upper Level.  Our symposium will consist of the four presentations below.

First, Ira Glick, MD will present “The Overview of the Field of Sport Psychiatry.” This presentation will focus on a definition and boundaries of the field of sport psychiatry.  Psychiatric professionals diagnose and treat problems, symptoms and disorders associated with a particular athlete, their family/significant others, their team or their sport.  We also work on performance enhancement.  We will review in detail 1) the origins and aims of adult and child/adolescent sport psychiatry, 2) diagnosis and psychopathology of athletes and their families, 3) treatment focused not only on the athlete, but also their supporting significant others, as well as their agents, 4) specific sports, e.g. basketball, soccer, etc., and 5) working with teams.

            Second, David Conant-Norville, MD will present “The ADHD Affected Athlete and Role of the Psychiatrist.”  ADHD is the most common psychiatric disorder presenting to child and adolescent psychiatrists and one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders among athletes of any age.  Hence, the sport psychiatrist must have a solid understanding of ADHD symptoms and treatments as well as knowledge of the unique challenges and competition rules faced by the athlete.  ADHD may affect sport performance in many ways, both positively and negatively.  Treatments for ADHD may enhance performance by bring the athlete to psychiatric health or may lead to a decline in performance.  Since psychostimulants, the first line pharmacological treatment for ADHD, have been labeled as potentially dangerous performance enhancing drugs, the sport psychiatrist must have a clear and accurate understanding of when and how these drugs may be used in a particular sport or league.  Dr. Conant-Norville will present a brief summary of ADHD diagnostic criteria and the process of making a diagnosis of ADHD in an athlete.  Basic treatment strategies for the ADHD affected athlete, both pharmacological and psychological will be briefly discussed.  To illustrate the story of the ADHD affected athlete through the life cycle, Dr. Conant-Norville will interview Michael Stabeno about the effect that ADHD has had on his life.  Mr. Stabeno is a former collegiate football and wrestling athlete and high school wrestling coach who has lived with ADHD.  He has two sons affected by ADHD, one of whom is an elite collegiate soccer player.  Mr. Stabeno is author of The ADHD Affected Athlete, a book for athletes, their families and coaches.  He has been quoted in national magazines about the affect of ADHD on athletes and is a coaching consultant for an NFL team.

            Third, Ronald Kamm, MD will present “Interviewing the Athlete with a Substance Abuse Problem.”  Elite athletes at the high school through professional level use and abuse substances at a higher rate than the general population, and in higher quantities (54% of college athletes participated in high-quantity alcohol consumption versus 36% of non-athletes in one study).  Athletes begin using substances (alcohol, marijuana, etc.) for the same reasons that those in the general population do (to fit in, escape problems, have fun).  As the athlete continues his or her usage, however, the reasons may change (stress, relief, reduction of negative emotions, psychological and/or physiological dependence).  Continued use also frequently exacerbates underlying Axis I disorders, and behavior begins to change.  Concerned others often note that the athlete is failing to fulfill major team and personal obligations, is using in hazardous situations, and is changing interpersonally.  In this part of the symposium, a retired professional boxer will be interviewed by a sport psychiatrist in order to demonstrate both sport psychiatry interviewing techniques, and how the athlete's substance abuse problem evolved.  The interview will demonstrate, among other things, how to elicit a history of how the abuse began, the effect on performance, the impact on personal life, the athlete's treatment history, and current status.  With so many of our adolescents involved in organized youth sports (30 million children 5-17 overall) and with high-performance teens being more vulnerable to substance abuse than their non-athletic peers, it is important that psychiatrists, psychologists, sports medicine physicians, pediatricians and orthopedists know the best ways to ask about substance abuse during the initial consultation and understand the evolution of the disease in the specific case of the athlete and his or her unique world.  The interviewee will be - Mike Ayala, former professional boxer, who fought for the World Championship on three occasions, and had a substance abuse problem during his career”.  Including the classic Danny  “Little Red” Lopez and Mike Ayala fight, which was the fight of year (6/17/79).

            Finally, Antonia Baum, MD will present “The Athlete with Depression--Understanding Etiology and Treatment through the Interview.”  Mood disorders are prevalent in the general population, and in spite of the appearance of invincibility, athletes are not immune to being afflicted by them.  Athletes are also vulnerable to suicidal ideation and behavior.  Though involvement in sport can sometimes be therapeutic for one suffering from depression or bipolar illness, it is also true that some of the unique stressors in the athletic arena, particularly in the world of elite or professional athletes may exacerbate or even precipitate an episode of illness.  An additional stressor may be that sport is an area where mental toughness is revered, and the stigma associated with psychiatric illness remains strong.  Through education, athletes, coaches and trainers can be helpful in recognizing those in need of treatment, and can become important in implementing treatment.  A consultation-liaison approach is key to gaining the confidence of those in the world of sports.  With athletes, there are unique considerations in the psychopharmacologic treatment of mood disorder, as certain side effects may interfere with athletic performance, and some governing bodies in sport prohibit the use of certain psychotropic medications.

            The Scientific Session on Sunday, May 20, 2007 will focus on establishing a curriculum for Sport Psychiatry electives and/or fellowships.  The Business Meeting will follow the scientific session.  Please bring folks interested in joining the ISSP.

            Sport psychiatry was an important topic of discussion at the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry annual meeting in Tampa, Florida on December 6, 2006 when the directors of the NFL and MLB substance abuse policies presented some data to the audience in attendance.  The audience agreed not to record nor publicize the details of the data.  It was good to see so many ISSP members in attendance. 

            The Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology has had two journals published and out.  “The ISSP News” column is probably the only repeating Sport Psychiatry article in mass print.  ISSP members are entitled to 10% off the subscription price.

We will have a member’s only section to pay dues, have committee meetings, and bulletin boards online.

-         Eric Morse, M.D.

ISSP President