Mental Health in Adaptive and Para Athletes.

Adaptive and para athletes' mental health and well-being are an essential aspect of their care. These athletes deal with unique factors including lack of accessible facilities and accommodations, cost and difficulty with adaptive sports equipment, social stigma, and medical factors including chronic pain, spasticity, bladder and bowel dysfunction, and medication usage. While screening tools for mental health symptoms are readily available and can be used among adaptive and para athletes, it is not routinely performed. Additional research and education among health care providers are needed to improve early identification and proper interventions and treatment.