Erase the Stigma: College Athletes and Mental Health

April 25, 2022 Tori Waschek Sports 1

Credit: Jacoba Taylor/ The Ithacan

By TORI WASCHEK

Katie Meyer was a team captain who led the Stanford Cardinal Women’s Soccer team to the 2019 national championship after making two saves in a penalty shootout against North Carolina to secure the team’s third title. 

Three years later, on March 1, 2022, Meyer was found dead in her dorm room by suicide. She was remembered by her friends and family as a promising young individual who lived life to the fullest. But her bright smile may have hidden the mental health struggles she battled as an athlete behind the scenes. A double-sided life that many student-athletes can relate to. 

Emily Demarest, a junior field hockey player and president of the student athlete advisory committee at Cedar Crest College, felt particularly impacted by Katie’s story.

“Katie’s story has changed this perspective around mental health because it brought awareness to mental health within college athletics and that no matter how successful you may be on the field or in the classroom, people still struggle,” Demarest said. “From my experience, the mental health conversation in college athletics hasn’t been a topic that is often talked about. Her story touched many athletes lives, including mine, and that it’s okay not to be okay.”

The Concern 

On the checklist of everything a college athlete must achieve, mental health is usually not on it. Instead, mental health is becoming the quiet crisis in college sports. 

In the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, more athletes have been revealing their mental health battles. The NCAA found in 2021 after extensive research in 2020, that in most cases, the rates of reporting these concerns are 1.5-2 times higher than in NCAA pre-pandemic studies. 

  • The NCAA examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student-athletes’ current physical and mental well-being.
  • Mental Health Concerns during COVID-19 for men.
  • Mental Health Concerns during COVID-19 for women.
  • Mental Health Concerns during COVID-19 by academic status.
  • Mental Health Concerns during COVID-19 by gender and race.

Another recent NCAA study found that college athletes will experience more mental health issues than their non-athletic counterparts. The study pointed out that college athletes are less likely to seek out professional help than non-athletes when struggling. 

Rebecca Bogdewicz, a freshman field hockey player at DeSales University,  felt the pressures of mental health and college athletics just in her first-year.

“I knew that as a college athlete I was probably going to be at higher risk of mental health problems. The stress of classes is already a lot and to add being committed to a college sport makes your days very stressful,” Bogedewicz said. “I personally feel that my classmates who aren’t playing a college sport don’t understand how much of a commitment it actually is.”

The statistics are quite startling:  33% of all college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions. Among that group, 30% seek help. But of college athletes with mental health conditions, only 10% do. 

It is almost inescapable

A part of an already vulnerable age group, collegiate student athletes also experience stressors others their age do not. These stressors include practice and travel commitments, performance expectations, in addition to the normal pressures of college life with classes, relationships, jobs, and more. 

There is a common tendency among athletes, coaches, and staff to minimize mental health disorders or psychological distress because of the expectations of strength, stability, and mental toughness inherent in the culture of sports. 

Carlie VanTassel, a sophomore at Montclair University, is a member of the women’s ice hockey and field hockey teams. VanTassel said, “At times, I do believe playing a college sport can add stress mentally. Being with a group of people, always trying to play your best, being able to balance an athletic schedule while making classes a priority, these are things I take into account when I am feeling stressed.”

However, VanTassel also shared how focusing on the positive elements of being a college athlete is what allows her to stay mentally healthy. “I also see it as an escape from the stress of classes, getting to have a group of friends, getting to play a sport you love while being physically active, and having something fun to look forward to. These positives are the things I look at when I feel stressed,” VanTassel said. “It can go both ways based on how you look at it, and it isn’t always easy to see the positive.”

Brianna Curto, a junior lacrosse player and captain at Ramapo College, said the challenge to manage athletics and academics can be tough. “It can definitely get overwhelming trying to do your best in school while also trying to succeed on the field too. It is hard to balance everything and it can and has taken mental tolls,” Curto said.

The Stigma 

As a result, athletes often avoid disclosing mental health concerns, especially if the perceived negative consequence results in being rejected by teammates or coaches. Stigma further worsens the problem of student-athlete mental health as it inhibits open dialogue, education, and the development of resources.

Performance is usually considered more important rather than the personal growth and character development that builds a foundation for well-being. This is due to the fact that college athletes have usually been taught their whole life to be tough and to push through. Push through fear, failure, feeling bad or down. It is once again ingrained in the culture of sport.

Consequently, the moment an athlete believes they are struggling mentally, the athlete naturally goes to deny it, disregard it, and ignore it. It can be embarrassing, confusing, and scary. The idea of reaching out for help is often not even considered an option to most athletes. 

“I definitely believe athletes push aside mental health concerns. I know some athletes, including myself, who have had to reach out and either talk to someone or be there for someone else. It isn’t easy,” VanTassel said.

“It is important that we make time for ourselves to focus on our mental health because if we keep trying to push through our struggles with athletics and academics, we might burn out. Taking time for ourselves can be difficult, however it is necessary for our mental health,” Curto said.

Declining mental health can affect performance on the field, track, court, or pool, and lead to a higher risk of physical injury. This is concerning because physical injuries are cited as one of the most common and major stressors faced by student athletes, and it can create, trigger, unmask, or worsen mental health.

“I think performance and mental health go hand in hand. It’s hard to focus and be sharp in your skills when your mind is not in a healthy place,” VanTassel added.

The NCAA is stepping up 

With an increased realization of the connection between physical and mental health, the NCAA has begun to focus more on how to better accommodate the emotional demands placed on student athletes. 

The institution recently released a Mental Health Best Practices Guide that offers recommendations, resources, and procedures for coaches, athletic departments, administrators, athletic trainers, and others to assist student athletes with mental health related concerns. 

Some of the key components discussed in the guide include the importance of clinically licensed practitioners, procedures for identifying and referring student athletes, pre-participation mental health screenings, and creating a health promoting environment. 

Yet, it is up to the individual campuses to follow what they are being provided.

Emilee Hamler, a junior who swims at Misericordia University, acknowledged the impact COVID has had in the NCAA and the positive change she has seen at her college.

“I feel especially after COVID a lot of coaches are giving their students more breaks during the week for mental health, whether that be a yoga or stretch out day or a day off from practice,” Hamler said.

However, Jessie Smalley, a junior lacrosse and field hockey captain at King’s College, expressed her frustration of little change in the topic of mental health in college athletics at her school.

“Many times times college athletes are seen as the “happiest” on campus. At my school, mental health in athletes is not taken seriously. Our athletic department waits until issues arise like athletes quitting. Coaches are not trained to understand mental health instead they are trained to deal with it,” Smalley said. “This means, coaches will not take the time to help an athlete get past these feelings but instead push them aside and say the common phrase go see someone.”

“King’s College even has a Morgan’s Message club which features mental health but after the events for the club subside it is back to the way it was. Sadly, mental health is not taken as seriously until it is already too late,” Smalley explained. “As an athlete, our mental health is pushed to the side because many think it is unlikely we are sad when we have so many great things going for us.”

Professional Athletes Impact

Besides mental health focused organizations and the NCAA trying to raise awareness about mental health in college athletics, the courage from professional athletes standing up about mental health has also helped bring about awareness. In the most recent news, six-time Olympic medalist and gymnast, Simone Biles, pulled out of events in the Tokyo games to focus on mental health. 

“Put mental health first,” said Biles in a CBS interview. “If you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want.” Biles’ actions created a stir, and although some critiqued it as her being weak, what Biles did turned out to be quite brave. 

“Professional athletes speaking about mental health encourages college athletes to do the same because many athletes have someone professional that they look up at. To see and hear them speaking on the topic makes it a more normal conversation and breaks the stigma around mental health,” Demarest said.

Bogdewicz praised professional athletes who spoke out as well. “It actually was what helped me start seeking help because of all the stress I was under,” Bogdewicz said.

Biles does not stand alone in the engagement of professional athletes standing up, which encourages the younger athletes to do so. Among the list of athletes advocating for mental health awareness and putting it first includes tennis champion Naomi Osaka, Olympic swimmer Micheal Phelps, NBA player Kevin Love, NFL quarterback Dak Prescott, and several others. 

The Reality 

It is vital for athletes to address how they are feeling and seek help right away when they first think they are struggling. There has to be a cultural shift in the sports world that understanding mental health is important, and it is not a weakness to seek help. It is just like a physical injury that needs treatment.

“In general, there is a stigma that comes along with the word ‘mental health’. I don’t know if it [the stigma] will ever fully go away, but I have hope. I think they key is just to keep spreading awareness and having it [mental health] a topic of conversation,” Hamler said.

However, just in the past week, two more college athletes have died from suicide due to mental health struggles. Wisconsin University track runner Sarah Shulze on April 22, and James Madison University softball player, Lauren Bennett, on April 26.

 

1 Comment

  1. Tori, I thought your reporting in this piece was fantastic. Being able to get college athletes to open up and talk about there experiences and what they go through on a daily basis was really put together nicely. One thing that I would want to know more about is since the NCAA is stepping up and helping out how is that benefiting the athletes? are there results to show for it? The multimedia aspect of the piece was well thought out. The photos and posts that were included as well as the videos really helped produce the piece to a different level.

Leave a Reply