The swimmer or runner or gymnast pushes harder and harder, perhaps preparing for a big competition. Things are going great. Then, without warning, a simmering melancholy takes hold. Mood starts to wobble over a period of days or weeks, then goes into a tailspin.
Performance drops, and no amount of adjustment in the workout schedule helps.
Felling irritable, tense, angry and confused, the athlete falls short of all expectations and in some cases requires counseling or antidepressants for months. Staleness syndrome, U.S. Olympic Training Center, Alberto Salazar, psychological dependence, emotional equilibrium, John S. Raglin, William P. Morgan, kinesiology, sport psychology, Christy Henrich, anorexia, bulimia, eating disorders, gymnasts, figure skaters, divers, Patrick J. O'Connor, faculty, exercise science, over-training, aerobic endurance, Mark Spitz, Vladimir Salnikov, Profile of Mood States, POMS, depression, tension, anger, fatigue, confusion, sleep disturbances, appetite loss.