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SPORTS PSYCHIATRY · TELEHEALTH AUSTRALIA-WIDE
Welcome to Primrose Performance
Primrose Performance provides specialist sports psychiatry for athletes across Australia, delivered by FRANZCP psychiatrists via telehealth. Athletes face mental health challenges shaped by the specific demands of elite sport — training load, injury, weight and body image pressures, performance expectation, and the transitions that come with a sporting career. We provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment that account for that context, working alongside the GPs, club doctors, physiotherapists and dietitians already involved in an athlete's care.
Athletes experience the full range of mental health conditions, and research consistently shows some — particularly anxiety, depression and eating disorders — occur at elevated rates, with female athletes affected more than male. We assess and manage:
- Anxiety and depression — including performance anxiety and mood changes linked to injury, selection and competition
- Eating disorders and RED-S — disordered eating and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, often hidden within training culture
- ADHD — assessment and treatment, including documentation for elite competition
- Stress, burnout and overtraining — where training load and recovery affect mental health
- Sleep disorders — including the effects of travel, competition schedules and shift-like training
- Substance use — assessment and management in a sporting context
- Adjustment to injury, transition and retirement — the psychological impact of losing routine, role and identity
- OCD — obsessions and compulsions, which can be missed or misread in high-performing athletes as perfectionism.
Injury, identity and return to sport
Injury is one of the most under-recognised triggers for mental health problems in athletes. Time away from sport can mean the sudden loss of routine, team and identity, and is associated with depression, anxiety and disordered eating that may persist beyond physical recovery. Return-to-play decisions are most effective when an athlete's mental health is assessed alongside their physical readiness. We work with the treating team to support athletes through injury, recovery and the return to competition.
ADHD and prescribing in elite sport
ADHD is commonly identified in athletes, and medication can be an effective part of treatment — but prescribing in elite sport carries anti-doping considerations that a general assessment may not account for. We provide assessment, diagnosis and treatment with those requirements in mind, and prepare the clinical documentation athletes need to keep their treatment and their eligibility aligned.
Eating disorders and RED-S
Disordered eating and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) are among the most serious and most frequently missed conditions in sport, where restrictive eating or excessive training can be overlooked or misunderstood. Left untreated, they affect both health and performance. We provide psychiatric assessment and management, coordinating with sports dietitians and physicians as part of an athlete's care.
A whole-athlete approach
Mental health in athletes doesn't sit apart from physical health — sleep, nutrition, hormonal health and training are connected to mental state, and changes in one affect the others. Our psychiatrists assess the whole picture and coordinate with an athlete's wider support team, so mental health care is integrated into overall athlete health rather than treated in isolation.
Education for clubs and organisations
Alongside clinical care, we provide education for clubs, coaching staff and players' associations on athlete mental health — recognising the early signs, supporting athletes through injury and transition, and knowing when and how to refer. Sessions are tailored to the organisation and available by arrangement. Please contact admin@primroseclinic.com.au to book in.
Contact Us
For clubs, players' associations and wellbeing providers:
Sporting organisations need athletes seen fast, discreetly, and by a psychiatrist who understands sport. We make that simple: a GP or club doctor referral, fast-tracked priority telehealth assessment anywhere in Australia, and clear reporting back to your nominated contact. Athletes are seen wherever they are — home, camp or on the road — without disrupting training, with ongoing care as needed.
Short wait times?! Yes please!
The first step is to send a GP referral to admin@primroseclinic.com.au