If you or someone you know is struggling, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to talk to a skilled, trained counselor at a crisis center in your area at any time.
If you have not been paying close attention, it has been easy to miss the other epidemic. It's not new, but it does seem to be worsening, and the consequences of inaction are catastrophic.
The mental health of young people across the board is in a dire position. College athletes are not exempt – playing a sport does not spare one from the pains of mental illness. A problem that has been made devastatingly clear, however, is that, overwhelmingly, we do not tend to notice the problem until it is too late.
Of course, the epidemic is also not exclusive to college athletes. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, 49.5 percent of adolescents have had a mental health disorder in their life and a staggering 22.2 percent suffer from severe, "lifetime mental disorders." According to the National Eating Disorder Association, young (13-24 years old) athletes also find themselves more susceptible to eating disorders, and people suffering from eating disorders are more likely to attempt suicide. As a result of all of this, unfortunately, suicide is the third-leading cause of death among teens and has held that spot for some time now.
The question becomes: is there anything we can really do about it?
The answer is, of course: yes. But with a caveat. There is no one-size-fits-all way to deal with mental illness—there isn't even a single way to describe mental illness, and the experiences of those suffering can vary drastically while still being perfectly legitimate. The truth is, this is a disease—or a set of diseases—that we know that we can treat, but that we also must be committed to treating.
Too often though, those suffering are just an abstraction. Jerseys on a screen, numbers on a field. It is hard sometimes to recognition the human behind the athlete, but is important to do so, nonetheless.
The best way to do that, perhaps, is by hearing straight from the people themselves. It is easy to get bogged down in statistics and check out, but it is also hard to hear the stories of the young men and women we love and not want to do more.
They are Radford University Highlanders student-athletes; these are their stories:
Natalie Preston, Cross Country/Track & Field
"I have always been the student-athlete who never did anything wrong. Always had great grades, a nice group of friends, and was always happy. So nobody worried about me. Nobody believed that the bubbly runner could be dealing with OCD, anxiety, and an eating disorder, let alone be sad. I constantly pushed myself to chase what I, and society, viewed as "perfection". And while I maintained this, satisfaction never appeared.
Perfect wasn't good enough.
I began under fueling and over exercising, as anxiety, stress, and disappointment flooded my brain. If I had a bad race or workout, I repeated to myself, "I was not good enough". If I didn't see the number I wanted on the scale the mantra showed up again, "I was not good enough". I under fueled to have a sense of control in my life. I never felt safe to share my story. I was scared that I would be viewed as a burden, because that is how I felt. I also knew that once I shared, people would force me to get help, and I would lose that control, and have to change my habits. That is one of the many difficulties with mental health, there is a voice in your head telling you that you are weak if you get help. But you are not.
We need to make mental health a conversation within athletics and society. Speaking up about mental health issues does not make you weak, it makes you strong. Just like any other injury, we can recover and heal. In order to do so, we need to make mental health an open topic. Sport needs to be a place where people feel safe to share. I am sharing my story in hopes that others will receive the help they deserve to heal without feeling like a burden or judged. It is OK to talk. You are not alone."
Tori Boyd, Softball
"Two big things I would emphasize to any upcoming athletes or young people in general are 1. Research and 2. Support. When I came in as a freshman, I didn't know much about mental health because I was ignorant in thinking that mental health was just about issues that were diagnosed and treated. I was so wrong. Mental exhaustion is real. Self-deprecating thoughts are real. Being overwhelmed is real. Being transparent about these struggles and feeling comfortable in doing so is very important. Further, being someone that others around you feel comfortable entrusting in is SO important. After living with friends that struggled with mental illness, I wish I would have known more—done more research—to be that support system for them. This has such a bigger impact than many people know."
Brianna Krug, Cross Country/Track & Field
"Mental health is a serious issue, and many people don't treat it like it is because it's not something you can see. As student-athletes, we are expected to put our emotions on hold to perform. Sports make you tough in many aspects, but they truly can break your mental health. You can love your sport, your teammates, and coaches because no matter what they will have your back and want what's best for you. But at the end of the day, you go home and are left alone with your thoughts. Being an athlete, you are always viewed and held to a higher standard in everyday life, by professors, coaches, and other students. Don't get me wrong which is good, but you're supposed to be "mentally tough" all the time.
I am speaking from my own experience. I remember the first time I opened up about my mental health struggles to my mom a year later. It was the hardest conversation I have ever had because hearing my mom cry to me and feeling like she failed as a mother because she didn't know and wasn't there for me broke me. For those who don't know me, leaving for college my freshman year I was so excited to leave my hometown, friends, and family, and finally start to be independent and grow. Which was great, until I got injured and couldn't run/compete and always felt like an outcast. I went to bed crying every night and feeling like I wasn't good enough to be here anymore. I pushed my parents and friends away, but no one knew that I was struggling with mental health. I HATE when people see me upset because those who know me—I am always the bright bubbly humorous girl. I smiled through the pain every day so no one saw, and I would just hope that one day the pain went away.
Which it finally did. I have now found a home with the best teammates and coaches and a best friend that I could ever ask for and I know will never leave my side.
You are created by a God who loves you deeply and your life is not a mistake, it's a gift. It is okay to not be okay, speak up, share your story, you could help someone you don't even know. We can't afford to lose any more wonderful blessings in this world."
Anonymous Male Athlete
"Mental health is a real thing and it's one of those topics that isn't talked much about especially in the athletics community. Being a male athlete, I've dealt with tons of adversity in my life and the only way I could keep myself going every day is putting myself through all the things I hate to overcome the adversity.
Everybody battles demons every day, it's nothing new. It's just that you have to find your own niche and do what you love and get good routine going and hold yourself accountable every day. Doing all of this will keep you mentally sound. It's worked for me and keeps me motivated every day to be the best human I can be."
Austin Swallow, Track & Field
"For the last year and a half, I have been too afraid to share my story because I was afraid of the opportunities I would lose. But rather, I now see this as an opportunity to open up the conversation around mental health and to be an advocate and a voice for those who are struggling. If you have a story to share, I encourage you to do so because you never know who you may inspire to keep going. And if you are currently struggling, I see you and you're not alone. This world is a better place with you in it."
Bella Signorello, Lacrosse
"I use humor to cope and feel a lot of people didn't know I was struggling until I had to say something. It's so important to reach out to your teammates… supportive people need support too and I feel like when I am funniest is when I am doing the worst. I was afraid of what people were going to think, like, 'oh we can't go to Bella because she's really struggling,' but really, we all have things going on and we all need each other, but we also need more external help because we can't do it alone."
Of course, we are not asking for a moonshot. There isn't one. There is no silver bullet to solve all of our problems, but we ought to be able to open a discussion. We need to destigmatize talking and being open about our mental health. It's the only way forward, and while it is great when one more student-athlete comes forward with their story, we should not have to rely on the bravery of individuals to chip away are the deep born stigma surrounding mental illness.
We can do this together; and we ought to.
Mental health struggles, regardless of circumstances, will always be prevalent. That's life and the world we live in. But there are ways to mitigate and ways to treat. On campus counselors, an idea often floated, is a start, but just that: a start.
We should not begin and end with simply having some resources for athletes, or students in general, but we should instead strive for that to be the bare minimum. We should strive for greater because the worst fear of everyone in every athletics department is learning that the wretched disease claimed one of our own.
More Resources:
24-Hour community hotline, New River Valley Community Services: 540-961-8400
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255
Crisis Text Hotline: Text HELP to 741741
Radford Student Counseling Services
Morgan's Message
The Hidden Opponent
