Sports and Mental Health In Annual Meeting Spotlight

Three leading sports psychiatrists will join with three outstanding athletes to present the symposium “Sports Through the Life Cycle” on Wednesday, May 22, at 2 p.m. at APA’s 2002 annual meeting in Philadelphia.

The sports psychiatrists are Ronald Kamm, M.D., a clinical faculty member at MCP-Hahnemann who has worked with elite athletes at all levels; Toni Baum, M.D., a George Washington University sports psychiatrist who has also worked with Brown University athletes; and Joshua Calhoun, M.D., of St. Louis University and a former psychiatric consultant to the St. Louis Rams.

The athletes are Marvis Frazier, a former heavyweight boxing contender and son of Joe Frazier; Wendy Williams, a U.S. bronze medalist in diving at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul; and Gary Cobb, a former NFL linebacker and current Philadelphia-area sportscaster.

Kamm will lead the discussion on “The Pros and Cons of Coaching One’s Own Child.” As part of his presentation, he will review the relevant literature, discuss questions addressed to a sports psychiatry Web site, and share his experiences as a coach and parent. Frazier will then speak on what it was like having his famous father coach and manage him throughout his career. A father himself, Marvis will also discuss his experiences as a parent coaching his daughter in basketball.

Baum will lead the segment on "The Mid-Career Athlete-Coping With Psychiatric Illness." She will address the pressures on athletes during their peak years and the treatment approaches most successful when an Axis I disorder intervenes. Next, Wendy Williams will discuss the spinal injury that prevented her from competing in the 1992 Olympics, an event that precipitated a depression for which she belatedly, but successfully, sought treatment.

The symposium will wrap up with “When the Cheering Stops: Career-Termination Issues in Athletes,” led by Calhoun. He will speak of career-termination issues in athletes and the counseling approaches most effective in helping the athlete transition to a new phase of life. Cobb, a former linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, will then talk about the ways in which he and his teammates dealt with the stresses of retirement.

Each segment will include a videotape introducing the athlete-discussant and showing highlights of his or her career. Those who attend the symposium will have ample opportunity to offer comments and ask questions of the presenters and the athletes. ▪