Although psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians interested in sports practice already have the necessary general skills to help competitive athletes deal with adversity and the multitude of emotions that sports can elicit, most typically they lack the sports-specific knowledge necessary to truly help these patients and clients. InSports Psychiatry: Strategies for Life Balance and Peak Performance, the long-time team psychiatrist for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens intends to remedy this knowledge gap by sharing his unique perspective and rare expertise in cultivating athletes' peak performance while promoting team unity, sound judgment, personal growth, pride, and a lasting sense of accomplishment. The book: • Explains sports culture and team structure and function, vividly describing the environment in which elite competition takes place • Focuses on the shifting nature and intensity of athletes' emotions—the highs that come with success and the lows that accompany poor performance—and describes the situations that magnify them, including injury and pain, media scrutiny, the availability of performance-enhancing drugs, and the fear of both failure and success • Addresses critical topics, such as regulating energy, recognizing and controlling stress, preparing mentally for performance, and treating mental disorders common to athletes • Draws on the author's length of experience and clinical observations, the evidence base of sports psychiatry, and fascinating stories of athletes at all levels to inform, teach, encourage, and inspire. Although written for mental health professionals, the book will also be of great interest to primary care and sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, team owners and managers—and of course—the athletes themselves. Engaging and insightful,Sports Psychiatryis the go-to book for those in need of practical strategies for supporting and attaining peak performance.
Reviews: "It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. McDuff for over 15 years now, I have always felt confident when referring an athlete to Dr. McDuff that a positive result would be the outcome. David has been a great help especially to the ballplayers and myself in the area of injury rehabilitation when that player believes he will never recover from that career interrupting or ending injury. We form a great team as I handle the physical and David handles the mental side of returning that player to the field. In this book, you will discover intimately some of the techniques Dr. McDuff uses to positively return that player to the field of competition."—Richie Bancells, M.S., ATC, Head Athletic Trainer, Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore, MD "David McDuff is one of the top Sports Psychiatrists in the country. He has worked with the best professional athletes in the world, to youth recreational leagues. Dr. McDuff has captured the essence of Sports Psychology and has given us a powerful reference in which to guide our children and athletes."—Brian Ebel, MBA, LAT, ATC, Assistant Athletic Trainer, Baltimore Orioles in Baltimore, MD "Dr. McDuff has used his many years of experience in the field to write a book on Sport Psychiatry which will be very useful to experienced as well as novice practitioners in the field. He has nicely summarized the relevant research in the field, and the clinical vignettes in each chapter illustrate his evidence-based approach combined with a subtle understanding of the culture of sport. The chapter on Substance Use will be particularly interesting for the reader focused on understand the psychology and physiology of the drug-using athlete. Kudos to Dr. Mc Duff for producing a book which is complete but does not overwhelm the reader with needless information: the book can stand as a reference book or as an introduction to Sports Psychiatry."—Laurence M. Westreich, M.D., Consultant on Drugs of Abuse, Major League Baseball Contents: Foreword. Preface. Introduction. Scope of practice. Mental preparation. Stress recognition and control. Energy regulation. Substance use and abuse. Injury recovery and pain control. Common mental disorders. Teams, medical staffs, and sports leadership. Developmental and cultural competence. Evidence base and future directions. Index. David R. McDuff, M.D., is the team psychiatrist and mental skills trainer for the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens. He is also Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. |