ISSP Curriculum/Certificate Program

Sports psychiatry is the sub-specialty within psychiatry largely focusing on diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric illness in athletes. While utilization of psychological approaches to enhance performance may also be part of the work of the sports psychiatrist, it tends to be less so as compared to addressing actual mental illness in this population. The work of sports psychiatry may also involve the use of exercise as a therapeutic or preventative intervention for mental illness. The field is relatively new, such that most medical schools and residency/fellowship programs do not have curricular offerings dedicated to the topic. Moreover, with the population of sports psychiatrists relatively small, and with a relatively small research base, when health care providers do deliver psychiatric care to athletes, they may do so without a full understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic issues unique to this population. Thus, this curriculum aims to enhance the knowledge base of physicians and physicians-to-be in the science of sports psychiatry, and to increase the skill with which these clinicians provide psychiatric health care to athlete populations.

The curriculum is didactic/reading/reflection only (i.e., there is no requirement for a clinic population of athlete-patients, nor any requirement for an experienced on-site sports psychiatry expert, though that is an option for you if you have those resources available at your site), with the hope that it will be useable by as many interested learners as possible regardless of resources available at a given institution.

Topics Covered in the ISSP Didactic Sports Psychiatry Curriculum:

1. The Field of Sports Psychiatry

2. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Depression in Athletes

3. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Suicide in Athletes

4. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Anxiety and Related Disorders in Athletes

5. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: PTSD and Other Related Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders in Athletes

6. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Eating Disorders and Other Body Image Disorders in Athletes and REDs

7. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Sleep in Athletes

8. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders in Athletes

9. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Bipolar Disorder and Psychotic Disorders in Athletes

10. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Substance Misuse and Use Disorders in Athletes 

11. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Gambling Disorder and Behavioral Addictions in Athletes

12. Specific Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Mental Health and Concussion in Athletes

13. Environmental Factors: Relationship Between Injuries and Mental Health

14. Environmental Factors: Overtraining Syndrome

15. Environmental Factors: Interpersonal Violence in Sport

16. Environmental Factors: Social Media and Mental Health in Athletes

17. Environmental Factors: Transitions Into and Out of Sports

18. Environmental Factors: The Role of Culture in Sports

19. Environmental Factors: Creating an Environment that Supports Mental Health in Athletes

20. Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Pharmacotherapy in Athletes

21. Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Psychotherapy in Athletes

22. Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Exercise as a Treatment

23. Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Removal From and Return to Play

24. Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Disorders: Ethical Issues in Sports Psychiatry

25. Specific Athlete Populations: Young Athletes

26. Specific Athlete Populations: Athletes with Disabilities