FLAMENGO DOCTOR REVEALS REASON FOR THE CLUB NOT TO HIRE A PSYCHOLOGIST

In recent years, several topics have been debated about mental health in society and in sports. Flamengo is part of a select group of clubs in Brazil that does not have a psychologist in its professional squad, and Dr. Márcio Tannure, Health and High Performance manager, detailed the difficulties the club has faced in past experiences.

“In practice, we have had experience and it is not that simple. My point: you have to have everyone's trust. It's not just technical capacity, but expertise to deal with. Sometimes, the athlete doesn't really take it to the professional, for fear of it being taken to the coach, etc... Coaches also have difficulty with this, sometimes not understanding”, said Tannure in an interview with Lance.

The health manager of Flamengo avoided classifying the hiring of a psychologist as right or wrong, however, he said that the club tried different methods and was unsuccessful. Márcio understands that the presence of a professional is essential in the youth categories, when the athlete is still in training.

“I'm not saying it's right or wrong, we've already tried in several ways... At the base , it is very important, so that the athlete can develop this and reach the professional stage well. But, when it comes to professionals, perhaps the ideal model is group interventions. Maybe you can figure out what's going on and follow up on each one. We already have experience, and we haven't always been successful”, said Márcio Tannure.

It's worth remembering that at Flamengo, players on the professional squad who want to work with a psychologist need to hire them privately. One case is that of Fabrício Bruno, who has had an outstanding season and relates his evolution to mental work.

Márcio Tannure also highlighted the importance of a high-level athlete being mentally well. Furthermore, he cited cases from MMA, another sport he works in.

“There has to be a human, doctor-patient relationship. When I can improve this athlete, humanly speaking, this in itself improves performance. Health is physical and mental well-being. For a player to be healthy and have peak performance, they have to be physically and mentally well. Mental health is a reality, bad for the decade or century, and it's no surprise that within the professional classes, athletes have the highest rates of depression, and people ask why. “

“I think mentality is everything, but experience with different sports comes with an understanding of tools… In MMA, it’s you and yourself. If it's not okay, it's gone. In the collective, sometimes you are not doing well, but there is someone else, and that minimizes it a little, because you can distribute failure or glory.”