The Healthy You Is the Better You

Posted on: 24 April 2020

Successful athletes need to naturally have a high competitive drive that pushes them beyond the skill level of their peers. However, some adult athletes may have partially succeeded due to an undiagnosed Oppositional Defiant Disorder or ODD. This problem can cause them issues with their team, problems that likely require the help of a behavioral health clinic to manage.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder May Occur in Adults

Oppositional Defiant Disorder or ODD is a behavioral problem that often develops in people when they are young in response to a variety of different situations. Often, this disorder can cause a child to be uncooperative and difficult but can also have a strange effect on some and cause them to be successful in some fields, such as those that require a lot of competitiveness, such as sports.

However, adult athletes trying to succeed with ODD may find it much harder to get along with their coach and their teammates. And while bad behavior may have been ignored as a child because they were so successful, the same is not likely to be the case for adult athletes. As a result, it is essential for adults with ODD to visit a behavioral health clinic to get help for what can be a surprisingly debilitating condition.

Ways Behavioral Health Clinics Can Help

Behavioral health clinics are designed to provide a myriad of care options that help a person overcome a myriad of issues. For example, those with ODD can learn where this problem likely developed in their mind and the steps that they can take to manage it. Often, they need to learn how to respect authority and to suppress their urge to buck against people telling them what to do.

Coping mechanisms – such as meditation, deep breathing, and much more can help to calm their nerves and help alleviate many of the symptoms that they may feel. Just as importantly, it can give them insight into their behavior profile. They can reach these goals by working in multiple settings, such as in individual therapy or in a group counseling setting that helps them to reach their highest potential.

For athletes, this process can include learning that teamwork is about more than them succeeding. Instead, they'll learn how to subjugate their ego and their urge to fight against authority. As a result, they will integrate with their team more successfully and avoid complications, such as getting traded away or even cut, due to their ODD.

For more information, contact a behavioral health clinic near you!