Running head: THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTAL HEALTH IN ATHLETES

The Importance of Mental Health in Athletes

Abigail Shipley

Arizona State University

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Abstract

Those struggling from mental health issues of all kinds is very common in todays society.

Surprisingly, a lot of athletes suffer as well. Their suffering can impact their performance as well

as their daily lives. As someone who feels strongly toward the mental well-being of a human as

well as the importance sports in an individuals life, I believe in the importance of bringing

awareness to the mental health in athletes. From personal pressures, coach pressures and family

pressures, a lot more can be done to help bring change to how we view mental illness.

Keywords: Athlete, Sports, Mental Health, Awareness, Importance

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The Importance of Mental Health in Athletes

In todays fast-moving society, anxiety, depression and other mental health topics effect a

large amount of people. According to News Week, about 18.2% of the American adult

population suffer from some type of mental illness (Beekeepers 2014). Thats 42.5 million

Americans! Especially in the world of sports, physical health is often put before mental health,

leaving a lot of athletes suffering in silence from various mental health issues. It is important for

coaches as well as other athletes to be aware of the effects mental health has on an athlete both

on and off the field or court, as well as what can be done to raise awareness about mental health

and help those who are suffering.

Symptoms of mental illnesses, anxiety specifically, can vary from athlete to athlete but it

is still important for coaches, family members and teammates to be aware of what the general

symptoms are if there is speculation that a team member is suffering. One example of an

emotional symptom is a level of disconnect. This can mean that a team member is not bonding

with other players or is disconnecting his/her self from other members. An example of a

cognitive symptom is a vicious cycle of negative or distracting thoughts. While this symptom

cant be identified directly, the thoughts can cause the athlete to act in a certain manner. For

example, preventing the player from performing a task because he or she believes they wont be

able to do it. For me, this means while most athletes experience some level of doubt or

anxiousness, these thoughts are more powerful and controlling and in some cases, can cause an

athlete to not want to play at all. There are various symptoms for anxiety, the most common

being: shortness or shallow of breath, muscle tension and rapid heart rate. Physical symptoms

can cause an athlete to not be able to perform to their highest ability physically because they

believe their body is shutting down. Lastly, behavioral symptoms tie all four together. This
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prevents a player from performing certain tasks out of fear and anxiety; similar to performance

anxiety. Behavior symptoms can be subtle or extreme. Subtly, a player might step outside of the

huddle in between plays because theyre worked up over the next play theyre going to have to

perform. Or, extreme in the sense that they remove themselves from the play all together out of

fear and anxiousness. I think that all four symptoms tie together to ultimately make a player not

be able to perform to their highest ability, which is can be extremely disheartening to an

inspiring, young student-athlete.

It can be argued that an athlete is not able to perform to their highest ability, is fearful of

certain plays or is at disconnect from the team due to confidence issues and self-doubt. While

this is a possibility for a number of athletes, especially young ones just getting started, the

symptoms described are extremely persistent. It is not a simple fear of a certain route that might

be ran in a football game, but an over-powering fear of multiple routes, even if the football

player has run it a hundred times before. What might look like a lack of confidence to a coach or

fan, can be a serious mental struggle for the player. For example, a basketball player is going to

make a lay-up and ends up falling and spraining his ankle. Recovery time is short and in a few

weeks, he is able to get back on the court and start practicing again. The coach asks him to go for

a lay-up; for a player who doesnt suffer from anxiety, this may be scary at first, but he will go

for it. For an extremely anxious player, this can be a very daunting task. Its not just a level of

confidence, but impending thoughts of doubt and fear that he will sprain his ankle again, or

worse fracture it, and never be able to play again. It is thoughts like those that keep a player from

performing to their highest ability. From those thoughts, other doubts in confidence and ability

can stem.
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A common belief of many coaches or others affiliated with sports and coaching is that the

physical health of an athlete is more important than the mental. While physical health is

extremely important and vital to any human being, athlete or not, the quality of ones mental

health can affect the physical. According the 2007 NCAA Managing Mental Health handbook,

mental health problems have the ability to affect athletic performance and limit training and

competition until properly treated (NCAA 2007). A way to think about this is label mental

health problems as an injury as you would a physical problem. This sparks further questions

for me, would you let a physical injury go untreated? Would you tell your athlete or child to keep

playing if their leg was broken? Would you tell them its all in their head? Of course not, you

want your athlete healthy and performing to the best of their ability, so you would seek the

necessary help and treatment to get them there. The same actions should be taken when it comes

to mental health. Just because you might not be able to physically see their suffering, doesnt

mean its not there and it doesnt mean they arent affected. Once a coach or family member is

able to identify symptoms or speak to their athlete about what they may be going through, it is

important to seek treatment. Just like you wouldnt let a broken leg go untreated; mental illnesses

should never go untreated either. It is more common now than ever for sporting teams, especially

in the collegiate level, to have a mental health sports therapist on staff. Having a mental health

sports therapist already on staff is extremely helpful because it is more likely for the athlete to

reach out for help and trust the therapist if they feel he or she can relate to them. Even if an

athlete isnt suffering from anxiety, depression or any other mental health issue, sometimes

someone to talk to other than your coach is important. There is truly nothing better than a good

bond between a coach and athlete, but sometimes thats surface level. When someone is facing

such extreme pressure from something like playing a sport collegiately or professionally, being
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able to relieve stress and vent to someone who you know wont judge or tell anyone else, is

reassuring. No matter the severity of the mental illness, therapy should be the number one thing

on an athletes road to recovery. The support of family, friends, team members and coaches is

important, but the tools and guidance of a therapist is necessary.

Over recent years, it has become more common than ever before for professional athletes

to speak up about mental health and be advocates for awareness and treatment. In 2006, MLB

pitcher Zack Greinke took off seven months from baseball in order to seek treatment for his

social anxiety. (Cuncic 2016) Although Greinke wont speak publicly about his condition, or talk

to the media much at all, his formal coach from the Royals, Dayton Moore, has shared his

thoughts. I cant speak to this because Ive never experienced it, but I can only imagine how

difficult it must have been for him to recognize his condition and evaluate it honestly and do

something about it, Moore said. Hes been able to take all of those experiences and combine

them and thats why he is where he is today (Cuncic 2016). Despite Greinke not publicly

speaking, his story is still important because it shows other professional athletes that its okay not

to be okay. Its easy for athletes to feel like they have to maintain a certain image in the spotlight

because of their profession; its time to break that stigma down. In 2010, Metta World Peace sat

in an L.A psychiatric hospital and spent time with 13 adults and 23 children (Medina 2012). He

learned their individual stories and connected with them on a personal level. After winning the

2010 NBA Championship with the Lakers, Mr. World Peace gave a humbling speech. This was

extremely touching to me personally because he shared his struggles of growing up in an

unstable home, as well as the counseling his received throughout the years for anger and

behavioral issues. Metta World Peaces speech was extremely uplifting and showed the

importance of advocating for mental health. Since then, Mr. World Peace has donated $200
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million to schools for advancements in mental health as well as auctioning off his 2010 NBA

Championship ring ($615,006) to benefit mental charities (Medina 2012). There is a lot to learn

from athletes like Zack Greinke and Metta World Peace. They break through the stigmas that

keep athletes from speaking up about their mental health. In the future, I hope there are further

advancements on mental health and it will become normal to speak about ones mental

illnesses and seek help in their sports community.

It can be argued that therapy in athletes can be distracting or unnecessary, but there are

multiple reasons why seeking treatment or therapy for mental health issues is important. A few

of them being: the idea of mental toughness, improving your performance and learning coping

strategies. Mental toughness is something the majority of athletes struggle with, especially those

playing in the professional level. From a young age, they are told that they need to just get over

it or shake it off (Graves 2017). This can be extremely damaging to ones mental stability

when they are suffering through anxious or depressive thoughts. Instead of seeking help, they are

too afraid to speak up so they dont look weak. Therapy can also improve an athletes

performance. The same amount of effort that is put into the physical performance should be put

into their mental performance. If anxious thoughts are constantly causing an athlete to believe

that he or she cannot do it, he or she will not do it. If an athlete comes into practice with an

anxious body and mind, the way they which they practice and perform will reflect that. Lastly,

learning coping strategies helps avoid both the idea of mental toughness and performance. When

attending therapy, the therapist will tailor their coping mechanisms specifically to the athlete.

This means that whatever is weighing on their mind or body when at practice or at a game, they

will be able to have control over. I encourage athletes who may be struggling to reach out their

coaches or staff in higher management to ask about therapy and possible treatment options. Even
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if an athlete isnt struggling mentally, but just had a bad day or week at practice or outside of

practice, therapists are there to listen and help no matter the size of the problem.

After reading various articles, listening to podcasts done by professionals and observing

professional sports setting, its not surprising why athletes can suffer from such mental health

problems. As someone who has suffered through social and generalized anxiety in their lifetime,

I believe in the importance of advocating for mental health. During my time as a sports

journalism student at Arizona State, I hope to use my talents and my personal experiences to

continue to push for mental health to be more openly talked about. In the near future, I hope for

more professional athletes to step forward about their struggles, for college sport teams to make

sure there is a sports mental health therapist on staff and for families to let their children know,

athlete or not, that they can come to them with any struggle they may be having. With these

small changes, I believe we will be able to give athletes who struggle with mental health the

ability to reach their fullest potential.

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References

Bourgase , C. (2016, March). Coaching Players with Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved November 20,

2017, from http://www.bourgase.com/teaching/special-education/anxiety-disorders/

Graves , N. (2017, May 10). Why An Athlete Should See a Mental Health Therapist . Retrieved

November 20, 2017, from https://www.naswis.org/single-

post/2017/05/10/%E2%80%9C13-Reasons-Why%E2%80%9D-An-Athlete-Should-See

a-Mental-Health-Sports-Therapist

Performance Training [Audio blog review]. (n.d.). Retrieved November 20, 2017, from

http://www.peaksports.com/sport-psychology-videos-podcasts

Thompson, R. A., Dr., & Sherman, R. T., Dr. (2007). Managing Student-Athletes' Mental

Health. Managing Student-Athletes' Mental Health . Retrieved from

https://www.ncaa.org/sites/default/files/2007_managing_mental_health_0.pdf.