Mental health has garnered significant attention in sports medicine and sport science, reflecting a broader societal movement that recognizes the substantial disability caused by mental disorders and calls for greater prioritization of mental health in society at large. [1,2] While psychological and sociological aspects of sport have been studied for decades, [3,4] the clinical and psychiatric dimensions of athletes' mental health have only come to the forefront more recently. [5–7] This trend is also evident in manuscripts submitted to JSAMS. Athletes, coaches, and others involved in sport are not immune to mental disorders and can face life and sport challenges that negatively impact their mental health or may represent triggers for these disorders becoming manifest. Many psychiatric conditions reported among athletes, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and eating disorders, [8–12] are severe conditions linked to increased mortality.[13,14] They require serious attention and should prompt rigorous research in sports medicine. However, there are also challenges and potential risks when a research field rapidly transitions from being understudied to a hot topic with an almost explosive increase in publications over a relatively short period of time. Recurring methodological shortcomings like information bias from improper data collection methods, classification bias from inadequate diagnostic criteria and selection bias from inappropriate methods of selecting study subjects highlight the need for high-quality studies on these topics.