Essay On Mental Illness In Sports

Mental Illness in Athletes Student Athletes are easily identifiable on college campuses. They are clothed in expensive athletic gear with their school’s logo and sponsor plastered on it, their headshots may appear in game day ads, and some exude confidence while walking through campus. On the other hand, some student athletes may be among the most insecure students on campus. Often times insecurities and stresses lead to mental illnesses, which can go unnoticed and that can lead to serious consequences. The media has highlighted suicide, due to mental illness, in college athletes such as Ohio State football player Kosta Karageorge and Pennsylvania runner Madison Holleran, but there have been hundreds of incidents. In a study done of Division l, ll, and lll schools there were four- hundred and seventy-seven deaths of student athletes in a period of nine years and 7.3% were due to suicide (Flanagan). There are various causes of mental illnesses in college athletes including stress, envy, injury, perfectionism, and pressure, but if help is available and athletes are better educated about mental …show more content…
A number of factors contribute to the mental health of athletes including the effects of stress, internal and external pressures, bullying and sexual abuse, and injuries. If not treated, over time mental illnesses can get worse. It is important for the stigma around mental illnesses to diminish so that athletes feel as if it is okay for them to seek help for any problems. Universities should also hire sports psychologists to work with athletes to educate, prevent, and treat mental illnesses. Student athletes maintaining good mental health is just as important as their study skills, training regime, nutrition when it comes to performing well on the field as well as in the