MMA and Mental Health

I believe that there is a wild animal lurking in everyone's soul.

Sometimes that animal will be unleashed when a woman finds her child in danger and suddenly she possesses the strength to lift a car to free him.

A regular Mr. Milquetoast may stop a robber from stealing an old lady's purse, to the surprise of lifelong acquaintances and police.

Or a five-year-old boy might apply the Heimlich maneuver with enough strength to clear a six-year-old's throat of obstruction.

Many men with violent propensities have admitted to being attracted to MMA because it is a legitimate way for them to unleash their inner beast and "hurt someone" in a socially acceptable manner.  The release is something that could jail them for life if demonstrated on the street and not in a proper venue (with the noted exception being Kevin Ferguson, of course).

Many psychiatric units have occupants who have severe anger issues.  Now there are medicines available to silence these urges to "rage against society."'  The blood pressure drug Inderal is one that has been used successfully in the past, even on teenagers having this problem.

One of the reasons that so many young men with anger issues find success in MMA is that they are able to push an adrenaline button that floods their body with "crazy strength" as well as the inability to feel pain.

They are able to fight with a strength unknown to many.  However, being on the other end of it can be truly frightening.  Just ask the EMTs and ER personnel who have had to deal with it.

For MMA it is fortunate that there are men willing to enter the arena and unleash their beasts to provide sports junkies with a thrilling, relentless battle.

A person who takes certain drugs for heart conditions, hypertension (which is very common in black males), and other physical ailments requiring medication, often experiences side effects from these drugs that can affect their performance in other situations.

Many drugs decrease the libido, or can cause personality changes which would make it hard for even family and friends to recognize the person. The side effects often convince the person to forgo treatment and "just try to get by" with their condition, which in many cases leads to an early and preventable death.

This is not to say that all MMA athletes are crazed lunatics who would require a psychiatric lockup to keep the rest of us safe.  I am not saying that at all.

Just like it takes a different type of person to use a saw to open an adult's brain cavity and remove blood clots, MMA fighters require certain talents that are lacking in the rest of us—though we should thank God for that or there would be no fans.

Being involved in MMA could make it difficult for a person with higher than normal blood pressure or depression (which is an unseen, but debilitating illness), among countless other physical and medical ailments, to receive necessary medical help.

The medicine with which they are treated can change their brain chemistry, putting their beast into a different type of cage.  One that is not conducive to being an MMA fighter.