Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists
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Arch Clin Neuropsychol · Apr 2020
ReviewRetired National Football League Players are Not at Greater Risk for Suicide.
Some researchers have claimed that former National Football League (NFL) players are at increased risk for suicide as a clinical feature of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). This review examines the literature on risk for suicide in former professional football players, and the association between suicide and CTE. ⋯ Researchers and clinicians are encouraged to be cautious and circumspect when considering the clinical presentation of former athletes, and to not assume that depression and suicidality are caused by specific types of neuropathology. This represents a reductionistic and Procrustean view. Some former football players have mental health problems, but it should not be assumed uncritically that the underlying cause is an inexorably progressive neurodegenerative disease. Providing evidence-informed and evidence-supported treatments for depression and suicidality might reduce suffering and improve their functioning.