Medial presentation of mental health problems of elite athletes: An examination of German newspapers and magazines

Due to its stigmatisation, the topic of mental disorders and mental health problems of elite athletes was rarely discussed before 2009 by German media. Since the tragic suicide of the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke in 2009, however, mental disorders and mental health problems of elite athletes have increasingly been covered by German media, creating public awareness and a platform for this topic. Ten years later, more and more elite athletes with psychiatric disorders have turned to the public with their struggles. Our study examines how elite athletes with mental disorders and mental health problems have been portrayed in German articles of newspaper and magazines since 2009. For this purpose, ninety articles of the six most popular German magazines and newspapers addressing mental disorders or mental health problems in elite athletes were selected and analysed. In order to identify how mental disorders or mental health problems have been presented in the media and if stigmatisation has occurred, a qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted. Analyses revealed that the amount of articles concerning mental disorders or mental health problems has increased significantly over the last ten years. A stigmatisation of athletes with these problems could not be found in the selected articles. Furthermore we could not find precise reports regarding prevalences, detailed symptom descriptions, or treatment options. The preliminary results further indicate that most articles on mental disorders are related to soccer since the medial pressure seems high in this discipline.