Breaking the Stigma for Mental Health in Collegiate Athletes

JRN-100 Staff Writer, Olivia Webster

Athletes are more at risk for mental health problems than their non-athlete peers, including depression, substance abuse, alcohol abuse, and disordered eating.

The In My Feelings: Division 1 Student-Athlete Seeking Mental Health Support article targets mental health in student-athletes, and how Division 1 student-athletes navigate tensions between athletic performance and academic obligations. The survey or report title found that “10 to 15% of collegiate student-athletes experience serious challenges and qualify for psychological support.” Yet many of them do not seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental health and the sense that athletes should be strong enough to deal with pressure on their own.

Some can believe that there is a stigma surrounding student-athletes and a hard expectation of them doing well in all aspects of college. There is a large amount of practice to travel, lots of winning and losing, and physical exertion every day, especially at a Division 1 level. 

The article states that athletes are expected to be tough, good at time management, smart, motivated, and cooperative. These expectations for any student-athlete can consume their mind, and if they feel like they are falling behind, it can be detrimental and impact their minds and their performance in sports. 

The study also states that athletes today do not seek mental health services based on the lack of on-site services, not having a safe and physical space for emotional expression and organizational infrastructure for care. When treating athletes with anxiety and depression what professionals recognize is that depression is most common. 

But why is this the case? Athletes can feel discomfort with mental health professionals and have a negative perception of mental health challenges by athletes which restricts them from using formal mental health supports. 

There is a perceived and actual expectation for mental toughness within athletics, but it could also contribute to the athlete’s perceptions about seeking help. According to the article, it is “taught” to believe that it creates a “good” team culture.

Lauren Williams, now women’s hockey coach at Stonehill College, said she experienced mental health issues herself when she was playing at the University of Wisconsin. She said not only did her mental health suffer but her athletic performance also dropped during her time in college. This is where her journey with mental health started.

Williams realized at this time that she did not play for herself, she felt like it was like a job, and she was not enjoying the sport she loves. 

“It was really intimidating when I joined a team ranked number 1 in the country. I had the worst imposter syndrome, mentally buckling myself- a fixed mindset over a growth mindset. I was seriously thinking about transferring, but with my performance coach, I learned that you could choose what to do with that pressure.”

She said she decided one of the things she wanted to do was pursue sports psychology as a career because she wanted to help people feel seen heard, and valued. Because she did not communicate through her own coaches, it gives the experience to players that she did not have. Give them the experience she was lucky to have and feel supported. 

Williams said she is able to see a player struggling with “little bits, frustration, anger, and push after the whistle. Easy to see it in people’s faces.” She also describes a term called parachuting. This means that athletes pull the cord, knowing they are going to get beat, and just give up on themselves. This is their own mindset blocking them from their fullest potential. “The more you get to know your players the more you realize how they act.”

Because of the stigma around athletes and mental health that is installed especially with what Lauren Williams described, it is still very common to struggle even if the person is professional in mental health.

“As much as we are working on mental health in collegiate athletes, there is a stigma surrounding it, many are told to push away their problems. It is getting better but it’s still not okay to talk about it.”

Emma Slade, a 22-year-old women’s soccer player senior explains her perspective on the topic of athlete’s mental health as a student-athlete. 

Playing soccer for 18 years of her life, she has never experienced mental health in sports growing up. She mentions how in high school, her mindset of looking at soccer and games was a good outlook because they were fun and there was no pressure surrounding it. However, coming to college, her mindset changed. 

Slade realized that as soon as she started college athletics, her anxiety became present or escalated quickly. She says “Mental health for me was not really talked about until college, and I probably did suffer from it back then, however, I only started noticing it until I got to school. I experienced my mental health stemming from how much I play, and how it affects my mood and other people. I did not notice how much anxiety is present on and off the field.” 

Not only that, Emma mentioned how her mental health has also escalated with the switch from Division 2 to Division one. “The unexpected made me anxious, caused me a lot of anxiety. There was so much more pressure to perform well, and not knowing how the competition is going to be. You have to be comfortable with being the underdog.”

Even though she mentions how she is uncomfortable with the unexpected and anxiety rising, she tells how because of the switch to Division 1, more teams are now talking about mental health in collegiate sports. By having more focus on it, it breaks the stigma surrounding collegiate sports and how each athlete is expected to suppress their mental health. 

This comes to show that from a mental health professional, and a student-athlete, there is a problem with mental health in collegiate sports. This issue not only has to be recognized by mental health professionals like Lauren Williams, but athletes need to start breaking the stigma to help themselves if they struggle with mental health.