[Purpose] To investigate whether a questionnaire survey is useful in understanding psychological problems encountered during summer-time high-altitude overnight camps.

[Subjects] Subjects were 28 consenting high-school athletes who participated in a high-altitude training camp in the summer of 2003.

[Methods] A questionnaire survey using POMS (Kanekosyobo) and GHQ-12 was conducted on two occasions : around one month before the camp and the night before the end of the camp.

[Results] When compared to before the camp, a significant increase in “Vigor” and a significant decrease in “Confusion” were evident after the camp (p<0.05). After the camp, multiple regression analysis was performed by handling GHQ-12 scores as dependent variables and six POMS factors as independent variables. The square of the multiple correlation coefficient was 0.512, and variance analysis was demonstrated to be significant : F (6,28) =4.903 (p<0.01). In particular, “Confusion” had a significant effect on “GHQ-12 scores”.

[Discussion] The results suggest that it is possible to identify problems in this situation and to develop measures to address these, using a questionnaire on mental health.

Seishinkai Fujisawa Hospital has emphasized teaching constitutional physical fitness exercise such as aerobic dance to inpatients and outpatients with mental disorders since 1986 years.

In these years the hospital's staff has worked very assiduously to refine the exercise offered to patients with the goal of improving and maintaining their physical health. The hallway space in our open wards has proven to be an excellent area for walking exercises for both men and women.

There are many challenges in applying a physical exercising program to mental patients. The same criterion used for ordinary people is difficult and can even be dangerous for mental patients. But considering the long-term effects on the cardiac and pulmonary functions of the patients because of physical inactiveness, poor standing posture and psychiatric medicine, the benefits of physical exercise are worthwhile. However, further studies are needed to verify the results in using different levels of exercises and their effects on the cognitive and physical function of mental patients.

Psychiatric problems were discussed from results of the analysis of mental disorders in athletic students of T University.

37 athletic students have visited our psychiatric clinic of T University Health Center from 1993 to 2003. Both rates of their visiting and average frequency were lower than those of non-athletic students. They first visited our clinic mostly in senior grade. Eating disorders and adjustment disorders were most frequently observed. The rate of eating disorders in athletic students was higher than those in non-athletics, while that of schizophrenia was lower. Athletes of eating disorder mostly majored in events requested of endurance or aesthetics. They had a character tendency of emotional lability, indecisiveness, sensitive to others and suspiciousness. Inconsistency of identities both as an athlete and a university student might trigger their mental problems.