Physical Problems Exacerbate Severity of Post-Concussive Depression in Former NFL Players

A history of football-related concussions is more likely to lead to depression in former NFL players who also have physical problems such as body pain, headaches, and dizziness, reports astudy published in theJournal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences.“These results suggest that medical professionals should be especially attentive to a retired athlete’s comorbid medical history and physically related conditions,” wrote Benjamin Brett, Ph.D., of the Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center and colleagues. “If a retired athlete reports an extens ive history of SRC [sport-related concussion] and somatic or depressive symptomatology, referral to a sports psychiatrist or clinical neuropsychologist is recommended for further assessment … and to differentiate depressive symptoms as purely somatic, psychiatric, or mixed.”Brett and colleagues assessed data from 43 retired NFL players who had received comprehensive neuropsychological exams as part of a large neurological study. The exams included the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) to screen for depression and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) to screen for somatic symptoms. The players self-reported an average of 8.7 sport-related concussions.Of the 43 players, 29 reported minimal depressive symptoms, nine reported symptoms of mild depression (BDI-II score of 14 to 19), three reported symptoms of moderate depression (BDI-II score of 20 to 28), and two reported symptoms of severe depression (BDI-II sc...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: BDI-II Benjamin Brett concussion depression headaches Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences NFL pain PHQ-15 professional football somatic symptoms Source Type: research