Mental health in golf

Elements of epidemiology related to mental health symptoms and disorders amongst elite golfers will be examined, along with their risk factors. The need for future rigorous research pertaining to mental health and well-being amongst golfers will be discussed, alongside suggestions for strategies that can prevent and address mental health symptoms and disorders in golfers. This chapter concludes with practical applications, rooted mostly in mental health literacy, for golfers, coaches, and parents. However, for elite golfers specifically, limited information is presently known regarding the prevalence of psychological distress and poor mental health. Most quantitative research that has explored the mental health of elite golfers also involved athletes from other individual and team sports within the sample, and therefore any findings must be inferred. Thus, any support mechanisms offered through a mental health literacy strategy would be informed by the mental health needs of the elite golfers

LGBTQI+ mental health in elite sport: a review

No abstract available

Developing mental health literacy and cultural competence in elite sport

Mental well-being, and mental health symptoms and disorders amongst elite athletes, have attracted a great deal of discussion recently. Current epidemiological evidence illustrates that mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes are prevalent and a concern for athletes, coaches, and sport organizations. Within the last two years, five consensus, expert, and position statements have been written on the topic of mental health in elite sport. A strategy suggested by each of the five statements and aimed at preventing and treating mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes, both individually and systemically, is, to employ education interventions, specifically those based on increasing mental health literacy. Mental health literacy has come to include concepts related to knowledge of effective self help and self-management strategies, challenging mental disorder stigma, awareness and use of mental health first aid to assist others, and the facilitation of help seeking behaviors. In elite sport, questions remain about how mental health literacy can address the unique needs of the individual athlete, but also factor in their culture and their environment in an effort to prevent and treat mental health symptoms and disorders. The purpose of this commentary is twofold: 1) to explore the evolving concept of mental health literacy within elite sport which addresses individuals, their culture, and their environment, and 2) to propose strategies for best practice and research in mental health literacy within elite sport relying on collaboration between sports psychiatry, sport psychology, and clinical psychology

Pattern of Disease after Murine Hepatitis Virus Strain 3 Infection Correlates with Macrophage Activation and Not Viral Replication

Murine hepatitis virus strain (MHV-3) produces a strain-dependent pattern of disease which has been used as a model for fulminant viral hepatitis. This study was undertaken to examine whether there was a correlation between macrophage activation and susceptibility or resistance to MHV-3 infection. Peritoneal macrophages were isolated from resistant A/J and susceptible BALB/cJ mice and, following stimulation with MHV-3 or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), analyzed for transcription of mRNA and production of interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), mouse fibrinogen-like protein (musfiblp), tissue factor (TF), leukotriene B4, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Macrophages from BALB/cJ mice produced greater amounts of IL-1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, leukotriene B4, and musfiblp following MHV-3 infection than macrophages from resistant A/J mice, whereas in response to LPS, equivalent amounts of IL-1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, and TF were produced by macrophages from both strains of mice. Levels of mRNA of IL-1, TNF-alpha, and musfiblp were greater and more persistent in BALB/cJ than in A/J macrophages, whereas the levels and kinetics of IL-1, TNF-alpha, and TF mRNA following LPS stimulation were identical in macrophages from both strains of mice. Levels of production of PGE2 by MHV-3-stimulated macrophages from resistant and susceptible mice were equivalent; however, the time course for induction of PGE2, differed, but the total quantity of PGE2 produced was insufficient to inhibit induction of musfiblp, a procoagulant known to correlate with development of fulminant hepatic necrosis in susceptible mice. These results demonstrate marked differences in production of inflammatory mediators to MHV-3 infection in macrophages from resistant A/J and susceptible BALB/cJ mice, which may explain the marked hepatic necrosis and fibrin deposition and account for the lethality of MHV-3 in susceptible mice

Perceived Impact of Outdoor Swimming on Health: Web-Based Survey.

BACKGROUND: Outdoor swimming in lakes, lidos (outdoor pools), rivers, and the sea has grown in popularity in many countries, including the United Kingdom. Many anecdotal accounts indicate improvements in medical conditions, which are considered a consequence of outdoor swimming. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to better understand outdoor swimmers' perceptions of their health and the extent to which participation impacted their existing self-reported symptoms. METHODS: A survey was conducted to investigate outdoor swimming behaviors and reports of any diagnosed medical conditions. Medical conditions were coded into categories, and descriptive statistics were generated regarding the outdoor swimmers' behaviors and the effect that outdoor swimming had on their medical symptoms if any. The medical categories were clustered into five larger categories based on their prevalence in the current sample: mental health; musculoskeletal and injury; neurological; cardiovascular and blood disease; and other, which comprises inflammatory, immune, endocrine, and respiratory conditions. RESULTS: In total, 722 outdoor swimmers responded, of whom 498 (68.9%) were female. The probability of outdoor swimming having some positive impact on health across all medical categories was 3.57 times higher compared with no impact (B=1.28, 95% CI 0.63-1.91; P<.001), 44.32 times higher for the mental health category (B=3.79, 95% CI 2.28-5.30; P<.001), 5.25 times higher for musculoskeletal and injury category (B=1.66, 95% CI 0.52-2.79; P=.004), and 4.02 times higher for the other category (B=1.39, 95% CI 0.27-2.51; P=.02). Overall, outdoor swimming was associated with perceived reductions in symptoms of poor mental health (χ22=25.1; P<.001), musculoskeletal and injury (χ22=8.2; P=.04), cardiovascular and blood (χ22=14.7; P=.006), and other conditions (χ22=18.2; P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity in the form of outdoor swimming is perceived to have positive impacts on health and is associated with perceived symptom reductions in mental health, musculoskeletal and injury, and cardiovascular and blood conditions. This study cannot provide causal relationships or provide mechanistic insights. However, it does provide a starting point for more targeted prospective intervention research into individual conditions or categories of conditions to establish the impact in those who choose to start outdoor swimming

Reduced expression of monocyte CD200R is associated with enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production in sarcoidosis

In sarcoidosis, the proinflammatory cytokines interferon gamma, tumour necrosis factor and interleukin-6 are released by monocyte-derived macrophages and lymphocytes in the lungs and other affected tissues. Regulatory receptors expressed on monocytes and macrophages act to suppress cytokine production, and reduced expression of regulatory receptors may thus promote tissue inflammation. The aim of this study was to characterise the role of regulatory receptors on blood monocytes in patients with sarcoidosis. Cytokine release in response to stimulation of whole blood was measured in healthy controls and Caucasian non-smoking patients with sarcoidosis who were not taking disease modifying therapy. Expression of the regulatory molecules IL-10R, SIRP-α/β, CD47, CD200R, and CD200L was measured by flow cytometry, and functional activity was assessed using blocking antibodies. Stimulated whole blood and monocytes from patients with sarcoidosis produced more TNF and IL-6 compared with healthy controls. 52.9% of sarcoidosis patients had monocytes characterised by low expression of CD200R, compared with 11.7% of controls (p < 0.0001). Patients with low monocyte CD200R expression produced higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In functional studies, blocking the CD200 axis increased production of TNF and IL-6. Reduced expression of CD200R on monocytes may be a mechanism contributing to monocyte and macrophage hyper-activation in sarcoidosis

Occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders in current and former elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives To present an overview of the existing epidemiological evidence regarding the occurrence of mental health symptoms and disorders among current and former elite athletes. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources Five electronic databases were searched from inception to November 2018: PubMed (MEDLINE), SportDiscus via EBSCO, PSycINFO via ProQuest, Scopus and Cochrane. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies We included original quantitative studies that were written in English, were conducted exclusively among current or former elite athletes, and presented incidence or prevalence rates of symptoms of mental disorders. Results Twenty-two relevant original studies about mental health symptoms and disorders among current elite athletes were included: they presented data especially on symptoms of distress, sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression and alcohol misuse. Meta-analyses comprising 2895 to 5555 current elite athletes showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 19% for alcohol misuse to 34% for anxiety/depression. Fifteen relevant original studies about mental health symptoms and disorders among former elite athletes were included: they similarly presented data especially about symptoms of distress, sleep disturbance, anxiety/depression and alcohol misuse. Meta-analyses comprising 1579 to 1686 former elite athletes showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 16% for distress to 26% for anxiety/depression. Conclusions Our meta-analyses showed that the prevalence of mental health symptoms and disorders ranged from 19% for alcohol misuse to 34% for anxiety/depression for current elite athletes, and from 16% for distress to 26% for anxiety/depression for former elite athletes

Determinants of anxiety in elite athletes:a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE: To identify and quantify determinants of anxiety symptoms and disorders experienced by elite athletes. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. DATA SOURCES: Five online databases (PubMed, SportDiscus, PsycINFO, Scopus and Cochrane) were searched up to November 2018 to identify eligible citations. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Articles were included if they were published in English, were quantitative studies and measured a symptom-level anxiety outcome in competing or retired athletes at the professional (including professional youth), Olympic or collegiate/university levels. RESULTS AND SUMMARY: We screened 1163 articles; 61 studies were included in the systematic review and 27 of them were suitable for meta-analysis. Overall risk of bias for included studies was low. Athletes and non-athletes had no differences in anxiety profiles (d=-0.11, p=0.28). Pooled effect sizes, demonstrating moderate effects, were identified for (1) career dissatisfaction (d=0.45; higher anxiety in dissatisfied athletes), (2) gender (d=0.38; higher anxiety in female athletes), (3) age (d=-0.34; higher anxiety for younger athletes) and (4) musculoskeletal injury (d=0.31; higher anxiety for injured athletes). A small pooled effect was found for recent adverse life events (d=0.26)-higher anxiety in athletes who had experienced one or more recent adverse life events. CONCLUSION: Determinants of anxiety in elite populations broadly reflect those experienced by the general population. Clinicians should be aware of these general and athlete-specific determinants of anxiety among elite athletes

Microvascular Endothelial Cells Exhibit Optimal Aspect Ratio for Minimizing Flow Resistance

A recent analytical solution of the three-dimensional Stokes flow through a bumpy tube predicts that for a given bump area, there exists an optimal circumferential wavenumber which minimizes flow resistance. This study uses measurements of microvessel endothelial cell morphology to test whether this prediction holds in the microvasculature. Endothelial cell (EC) morphology was measured in blood perfused in situ microvessels in anesthetized mice using confocal intravital microscopy. EC borders were identified by immunofluorescently labeling the EC surface molecule ICAM-1 which is expressed on the surface but not in the EC border regions. Comparison of this theory with extensive in situ measurements of microvascular EC geometry in mouse cremaster muscle using intravital microscopy reveals that the spacing of EC nuclei in venules ranging from 27 to 106 μm in diameter indeed lies quite close to this predicted optimal configuration. Interestingly, arteriolar ECs are configured to minimize flow resistance not in the resting state, but at the dilated vessel diameter. These results raise the question of whether less organized circulatory systems, such as that found in newly formed solid tumors or in the developing embryo, may deviate from the optimal bump spacing predicted to minimize flow resistance