VIDEO: Competitive athletes have distinct risk factors for addiction
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NEW YORK — In this Healio Video Perspective from the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, Bhagwan A. Bahroo, MD, discusses addiction in competitive athletes and the distinct mental and physical demands that come with each sport.
“Anybody in the limelight may have certain needs that may be unique in that field,” Bahroo, director of interventional medicine at Columbia Associates in Arlington, Virginia, said. “There are so many different nuances and features to each sport, and the risk factors for chemical or behavioral addictions are different.”
According to Bahroo, psychiatrists must pay attention to the challenges and stressors athletes face that can become risk factors for addiction, including early retirement and loss of identity.