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| Anxiety?
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A few weeks ago I questioned Dontrelle Willis' diagnosis (and subsequent DL stint) of social anxiety disorder. My basis? Nothing scientific or anything -- I'm certainly no doctor -- just the words Willis used to describe how he felt, which didn't sound a thing like that which you would expect from someone suffering from an anxiety disorder. Stuff like "I was just playing bad" and "Even when I went on the DL, I felt fine." Turns out I'm not the only skeptic:
While few doubt the pressure of playing at the major league level, at least one mental-health professional raised an eyebrow at the growing number of social anxiety disorder diagnoses.
"I'm very suspicious of that diagnosis," said Dr. Allan Lans, a psychiatrist who practices in New York and has worked with athletes throughout his career, most notably as a member of the Mets' staff. "It's not like catching the chickenpox; there has to be a history."
Lans goes on to talk about how rare it would be for someone with a Major League career path to only begin experiencing the disorder after making the big leagues. Especially so long after making the big leagues like Willis and Khalil Greene.
This Lans fellow is only one doctor, and sure, what one doctor says isn't determinative of anything, but it certainly makes me wonder about these diagnoses.
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Well I personally hope it stands up so the Twins can use such a "diagnosis" to send Delmon Young to the DL.
I don't really want someone to have to hunt him down and kneecap him or something so he's actually injured on the DL.
Willis' ailment seems really suspicious to me, but from what we've heard from the Cards clubhouse this year, it sounds like Khalil Greene has a serious issue going on. Teammates were talking about him "punishing" himself after poor at bats to the point where there is a legitimate concern that he is a danger to himself. I'm certainly not an expert, and I'm quite far from knowing what's been going on with the guy, but I think there's real reason to suspect that he needs to take some serious time away from baseball and get some help.
Actually, I find this a bit insulting. Will we hear next that some ballplayer has ADHD and that is why he is on the DL? As an adult who does suffer from Social Anxiety Disorder it is offensive. Maybe Mr. Willis should do some research on a computer I am sure he has access to.. Try "social anxiety symptoms". Having problems relating to your bat does NOT make you a candidate.
The ADHD thing isn't so far-fetched. There are serious rumblings that many players have, ahem, questionable ADHD diagnoses that have allowed them to get ADHD drugs that many, many people tend to abuse as a stimulant/performance-enhancer. Indeed, the ADHD drugs thing may very well be the next big chapter in the PED story.
As someone who's had experience with both ritalin and dextroamphetamine, it's pretty easy to spot obvious baseball applications of ADD drugs, both in terms of added focus and general stimulant effect. Further, it isn't generally difficult to get a doctor to write you a prescription.
As to the general thrust of the post - the psychiatrist cited in the article is spot-on. Anxiety disorder rarely manifests itself in adulthood without some history of symptoms and, at that, it doesn't give rise to any physical diagnostic tests (contrary to Willis' statement that something was found "in his blood"). All signs point to a questionable DL-ing in Willis' case. That said, Riley is right about Greene; I've heard for years that he's wired a little tight, and the self-punishment certainly suggests that he copes with stress and failure poorly.