The evolution of sports psychiatry: a clinical intersection of mental health and physical activity
Long before the term ‘sports psychiatry’ was first introduced nearly 40 years ago,1 2 clinicians and academics recognised the critical role of mental and brain health in sports. For example, Jokl and Guttmann explored neurological and psychiatric studies in boxers as far back as 1932.3 More recently, with efforts spanning the last 30 years, the International Society for Sports Psychiatry (ISSP) has driven development of this field of medicine and psychiatry in the world of competitive and elite sports.4 However, the aim of sports psychiatry is not only to bring more psychiatric expertise into the care of athletes but also to bring more sport and exercise into psychiatry5 (figure 1). This multinational editorial aims to create awareness of the role of exercise medicine in psychiatric disease and advance the integration of sports psychiatry into the care of athletes by sports medicine professionals globally. Figure 1 The evolution of sports psychiatry. The definition and skill set of the
