Soccer As Therapy For Mental Illness
The physicians have found that it helps with socialization, concentration and confidence building. It also aids in breaking down the stigma of mental illness, say its coordinators—especially in soccer-crazy Italy, where the game is as much a part of life as pasta. How effective is it? Dr. Santo Rullo, a psychiatrist who has used soccer therapy as part of a treatment program for more than 600 men over the last 14 years, says its success can be measured by his patients’ reductions in medications and their return to their regular lives....