1 in 5. 1 in 5 people have a mental health condition today. However, what you may not know is that if you are an athlete with a mental health condition, you are significantly less likely to seek help or treatment for your mental health condition. No one should go without help, but athletes face an added pressure and this sports philosophy of “just tough it.” We sat down with Board member, Ross Szabo to discuss why athletes have this added pressure and what can be done to support their mental wellbeing. Ross works with schools all over the country to promote mental wellness and is an award-winning speaker. Keep reading to hear what he has to say on the topic!
Athletes have been shown to have roughly the same rates of mental health conditions as the general population, but they seek help a lot less. Why do you think that is?
Athletes face more pressure than the average college student, because if they admit they have a mental health issue they could lose their starting position or not be able to play. If they are on a scholarship, then they might not be able to go to school. Universities have a lot of protections for athletes so that they wouldn’t lose their scholarships, but they are worried about their performance. A lot of athletes just try to get through things on their own, so they don’t jeopardize their spot on a team. As, I mentioned schools do protect their scholarships based on their mental health, but there’s nothing that could be done to protect a starting position. Coaches can let student athletes know that if they address their mental health they will be stronger and succeed more, but that’s a tough message for athletes to hear when they’re worried about not performing.
Did you play sports growing up? How did they help or hinder your mental wellbeing?
I played basketball. It was a huge outlet and release for me. Whenever I felt upset or angry or sad, I could always go shoot basketball for hours and feel better. In some ways it was an escape that allowed me to release all of my emotions. Being on a team gave me support from other people and also helped me work with others on a common goal. The one thing that hinders well-being is that being an athlete becomes your identity. People know you for the sport you play and when you can no longer play that sport it’s a pretty crippling feeling until you figure out what you want to do next.
Ross as a child
What additional pressures do athletes face?
Athletes have to navigate all of the normal amounts of school work in addition to team practice time, lifting weights and working on their own. On game days it can be hard to focus in school, because you start thinking about what to do to prepare for the game. If you’re on a good team there’s even more pressure to succeed and worry about what college you want to go to or what you want to do next.
What do you suggest as some techniques or coping methods for athletes who struggle with mental health symptoms or a mental health condition?
Being as open about what they’re experiencing is important. The more they hide, the harder it will be to deal with. It’s good to have a sport as a coping mechanism, but it can also be a hindrance if that is the only coping mechanism. Try to find something else you identify with, because you are more than an athlete. Your brain is a part of your body and it takes a different amount of time to recover with mental health issues. If you tore your ACL you’d be out for 8-10 months at a minimum for surgery and rehab. You’d need a trainer to teach you how to do rehab exercises, but you’d have to do them on your own. Your mental health is similar. No matter what you experience it can take months or years to work on and even if you need a therapist to help you, it is still you doing the work to find what will help you the most. This isn’t a sign of weakness. It takes an immense amount of strength to work through mental health issues.
How can teams and leagues be supportive in taking care of their players’ mental health?
The best way is to normalize mental health on a team. From the very beginning treat mental health like you would physical health. When you’re telling teams to hydrate and eat right. It’s also important to talk about sleep, expressing emotions and coping mechanisms for the pressure they face. A lot of college and professional teams started using mindfulness and other exercises to help athletes with focusing on their performance. Training the mind to be healthy is as important as training the body to be healthy. Teams need balanced mental health as a part of their culture.
Tell us about your efforts in athlete mental health.
I’m partnering with Hilinski’s Hope StepUp!, Washington State University and the University of North Carolina Greensboro to launch a program specifically designed for the mental health of student athletes and bystander intervention. The program will cover a mental health curriculum to build skills in student athletes and steps they can take to help their fellow athletes in a lot of critical areas of life. The goals are to teach student athletes how to talk about mental health, develop coping skills, utilize good stress and reach out to friends. All of the lessons are peer led exercises, which really helps build team chemistry and makes the information more relatable.
