Olympic success

Two of the most talked about United States athletes at the 2008 Olympics were swimmers Michael Phelps, winner of eight gold medals, seven World Records and one Olympic Record, and 41-year-old Dara Torres, winner of two silver medals and one American Record. Their accomplishments in swimming were inspiring, as are the personal challenges that both had to overcome. Michael Phelps suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a child and Dara Torres struggled with bulimia, an eating disorder, in her early years as a college student and competitive swimmer.

ADHD is one of the most common mental disorders in children and adolescents, most often diagnosed before the age of seven. The disorder is characterized by a child's difficulty in attention, concentration, and impulsivity. If left untreated, children are at risk of academic failure in school and being ostracized or teased by their classmates.

According to ADDitude Magazine (April/May 2007), Michael Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD at age nine. His mother said an inability to concentrate was his biggest challenge and that he would often impulsively grab other students' papers. He did not enjoy reading, and math did not sustain his attention. In fact, he did not like swimming at first because he "hated getting his face wet." Swimming eventually became his motivation for success, as it provided consistent structure for his busy days, an important component for a young person with ADHD. With the support of his family, and their ability to understand ADHD and it's treatment, Michael Phelps was able to move beyond his behavior disorder and ultimately obtained his unprecedented success at the Olympics.

According to an article in the New York Times Magazine, June 29, Dara Torres became bulimic during her college days at the University of Florida. Bulimia is an eating disorder that is marked by episodes of binge eating, which is the consumption of large amounts of food during a short period of time, followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors including purging the food by making oneself throw up, or by abusing laxatives. When left untreated, Bulimia frequently includes physical complications that negatively affect the heart, muscles, and nerve functioning. Torres describes purging as a method she used for keeping her weight down for competitive swimming. This eventually resulted in poor health, fatigue and loss of strength, which affected her performance at the 1988 Olympics. She recognized her problem by then and comments that it took her five years, until 1992, to overcome the purging behaviors. Since then she has experienced success in athletics, as well as in her personal life as the mother of a two-year-old daughter. Both Phelps and Torres have shown that a mental illness can be successfully overcome, and that it does not have to define a person or limit their ability to succeed.

Contributed by Ken Loos, MS, LMLP, LCP Prevention, Education, and Outreach Department.

Mail questions to: High Plains Mental Health Center, PLAIN SENSE, Prevention, Education, and Outreach Department (PEO), 208 East 7th, Hays, KS 67601; or visit www.highplainsmentalhealth.com.

Date: 9/22/08

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