Professional athletes harmed by stigma around mental illness

Professional athletes harmed by stigma around mental illness

For Immediate Release – September 1, 2011 – (Toronto) – With ongoing media coverage of recent deaths of NHL players, there is an increasing focus on mental health and substance use problems in professional sports.

Available for interview is Dr. David Goldbloom of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

A world-renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Goldbloom can speak to the importance of recognizing that depression and other mental health and addiction problems are illnesses that can be helped through proper diagnosis and treatment, and the powerful role that stigma can play as a barrier to treatment.

Media Contact: Michael Torres, Media Relations, CAMH; 416-595-6015

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The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is Canada's largest mental health and addiction teaching hospital, as well as one of the world's leading research centres in the area of addiction and mental health. CAMH combines clinical care, research, education, policy development and health promotion to help transform the lives of people affected by mental health and addiction issues.

CAMH is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is a Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre.