Mental Health and Athletics

Athletes are not immune to mental illness, many will experience times of depression and anxiety. Now more than ever, athletes, at all levels, are seeking help and using the spotlight to share their mental health challenges to bring focus to this worldwide health issue. While athletes train and prepare to perform at their physical best, there is little preparation for the attention and harsh criticism that follows when they fall short of expectations. For many, the public rebuke can be far worse in the face of an athlete's disclosure that their physical best was impeded by their own mental health struggles. We now know that stigma, denial, and the unfortunate separation of physical and mental health have left many athletes under-diagnosed and under-treated for mental health challenges.

Many high-profile athletes have begun to share their mental health journeys with the public. "The Weight of Gold," is a documentary about the mental health challenges that Olympic athletes often face. The World watched the brave act of American gymnast Simone Biles, at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, remove herself from competition citing too much strain on her mental health. What is slowly emerging from these moments is an understanding that an athlete's physical health does not equal their mental health.

The adage that nobody knows the inner struggles of another rings particularly true with high performance athletes who seem to have everything, however, statistics show that one in 11 will be at risk of suicide. As Graeme Obree, who twice held the world one hour track cycling record and twice won the individual pursuit world cycling title, said, "They have all this spare time with no distractions or need for obsessive behaviour, which used to distract them from analysing their own life. For many sport stars, depression could be residing in them their whole life, but it's been repressed due to training and competing,"

Society looks to athletes to inspire and lead us to better places and memorable experiences. At the same time society places heavy expectations and pressures on athletes, regardless of age and level. We see them as better versions of ourselves. We often live vicariously through them. What we couldn't achieve, we expect them to achieve. Many are more disappointed about athletes cracking under pressure than cracking a bone.

Now more than ever we need to create an environment where athletes can openly discuss their mental health as easily as they can a broken arm or an ACL injury. The care of their mind must receive as much attention and emphasis as the care of their body.

An open and safe sport environment would serve to reduce stress, fears, and mental illness amongst our athletes. By doing so our athletes will also be able to show a way forward for the rest of us - that it's okay to "take a knee" on prime time, at school, at home, at work - to seek help - to heal and to live a healthy mental and physical life.

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