Psychology of the female athlete

This chapter summarizes some of the latest findings stemming from the fields of sport psychology and sport psychiatry, which relates to female athletes' functioning within the sport setting, their psychological and physical health, and overall well-being. Sport psychology emphasizes the importance of helping athletes learn and become proficient at psychological techniques that can provide them with the skills to more effectively regulate cognitions, emotions, and behaviors during training and competitive events. This is referred to as "mental skills training" or MST. The anxiety disorders and depression are the most common psychiatric disorders seen in the female athlete. Other diagnoses and mental health issues seen in the female athlete include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders/ female athlete triad. The chapter concludes by an integrative research approaches that informs evidence based and interdisciplinary practice in optimizing the psychology of female athletes and addressing the mental health issues faced by them.