Mental health can be considered a big topic due to the fact of how it impacts people’s health. Many do not consider how mental health can affect athletes as well. The NCAA, national collegiate athletic association, aims to upgrade the access of quality mental healthcare.
When a student-athlete gets injured from a game or practice, there is an emotional reaction from the player that is injured. The possible reactions are:
- Isolation
- Lack of motivation
- Frustration
- Sleep disturbance
- Irritation
- Sadness
- Anger
- Disengagement
- Changes in appetite
Injuries are not the only factor of affecting student-athlete’s mental health. If a player had a bad game or the pressure coming upon the athlete from school work, practices and if they have a job too.
Many schools do not participate in a screening for athlete’s mental health or hold guest speakers who are experts in the field of mental health.
In the beginning of the school year, athletics held a seminar for student athletes where a sports psychologist came in and talked about the importance of mental health.
Taylor Dimmerling, sophomore exercise science and health promotion major, is a part of the women’s lacrosse team who also has a job during the season as well.
“Mental health is an important aspect for anyone’s life, but should be taken seriously for a student athlete,” Dimmerling said. “When the speaker came in to talk to all of the student athletes, it really opened our eyes as to how cautious one should be about his/her health.”
30 percent of female student athletes who were surveyed showed the signs of depression. Male student-athletes come in at an 18 percent with the shown signs of depression.
Many student-athletes struggle with the transition from high school level athletics to collegiate athletics.
University of Pennsylvania athlete, Madison Holleran, was struggling with the transition from a small town to collegiate athletics. In 2014, Holleran committed suicide from her battles of depression.
“Balancing lacrosse and school isn’t easy, sometimes it feels too much or over whelming.” Jake Klein, junior secondary education and history major, said “It would be helpful if there was a sports psychologist available to student-athletes who could be dealing with anxiety, stress, depression or over whelmed.”
Eugene Hong, associate dean of College of Medicine at Drexel University, surveyed athletes from different sports at the school of depressive symptoms.
In an interview Hong had with Inside Higher Ed, he talked about how the study of student-athlete’s mental health can be similar to the general population of college students.
“This study shows that the rates of depression among athletes are probably comparable to rates in the general college population,” Hong said. “And it highlights the need for increased mental health screening for athletes as part of standard sports medicine care.”
Track and field is the highest percent for women to have depressive symptoms in a division one sport. Shaiann Lyde, sophomore health science major, is a member of the women’s cross country team at Cabrini.
“Mental health in athletes is really serious and should be taken very serious,” Lyde said. “Due to the fact that being an athlete in itself is stress when coaches expect you to be perfect on and off the field.”
Many student-athletes struggle with depression and may not know where they can go for help. At Cabrini, students can go to the counseling and psychological services if they need help or to talk since there isn’t a sports psychologist on campus.
