Peer support will mitigate risk of PTSD
Open discussion key for players recovering from sight of Gomes injury, writes Brock Chisholm
Post-traumatic stress disorder might be more commonly associated with war veterans, but it can be caused by any traumatic event – including the kind of serious injury suffered by Andre Gomes on Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur and Everton are offering counselling to players who request it.
Whenever a traumatic event takes place there is always a desire to rush in and fix things, but – in the first month, at least – this may actually be counterproductive.
Everybody expects to have some sort of symptoms following a traumatic event – nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive memories – in the first month after it occurs, but that does not necessarily lead to PTSD. In the case of the players who saw Gomes’s injury, the best thing to advise would be lots of peer support – players talking about the incident among themselves – rather than formal counselling or therapy. If they are still suffering after that first month, it is time to seek professional help.
PTSD is more likely to occur when the event is unexpected. Footballers know that injuries are a potential hazard in their line of work, so on some level they are mentally prepared for that.
In addition, people more at risk from PTSD are those with a history of prior trauma – you often see it in refugees and people who had damaging experiences in childhood, as well as military personnel, who are exposed potentially to many traumatic events. The likelihood of a player suffering from PTSD is much reduced, although that does not mean they will not suffer some symptoms, such as nightmares. It might also make them more cautious when they go back on to the field.
There is also a chance that some spectators will be affected, as they are less prepared than the players for the sight of a serious injury, and might not have the same kind of support structure.
Dr Brock Chisholm is a consultant clinical psychologist and founder of Trauma Treatment International.