Mental Health Crises in Sport

Crises in sport are not always performance-related, but there are various crises in the broader sport context that may have an impact on sport performance. This chapter examines the range of mental health crises or emergencies that can affect elite athletes and coaches, including suicidal ideation and self-harm, acute disturbances associated with alcohol or other substance use, and crises emerging from mental conditions such as anxiety, depressive, eating, and psychotic disorders. The applied part of the chapter focuses on dealing with mental crises in competitive events, including implementing emergency action plans. Specific crisis management strategies are also presented, taking into account the contexts in which emergencies emerge. The chapter concludes by considering how elite sports can foster a system to improve the mental health of elite athletes and prevent the likelihood of mental health crises emerging.