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How can we break this stigma around mental health?

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How can we break this stigma around mental health?

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Why Don’t More Olympians Talk About Mental Illness? | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

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.“Why Don’t More Olympians Talk About Mental Illness?”
.Luna Greenstein
.Trade Source

Summary: This article is talking about why athletes on the highest levels still feel like they need to hide their struggles around mental health from the public eye due to stigma. They talk about how impress it is that athletes are still able to compete at such a high level but yet still struggle. That this idea allows people to have hope and understand that mental health does not mean one is weak. I also liked how they talked about how many people truly are struggling just based on statistics but yet they have not opened up about it. I think it is really important to hear stories of these athletes to see that mental health issues do not have to define someone. I do hate that this stigma makes people think they can not open up about their struggles until after they accomplish their goals or until it is too late.

Evaluation: This source is a trade source since it comes from the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Health) which means it is more of an association for people who work in the mental health area. This information could also still be understood by the public but they do have more complex information on their cite which would be more geared for the professional eye.

Reflection: I think this article would be helpful for answering my question on why the mental health stigma needs to end and proves the importances of getting help and speaking up right away. I really liked that the article used names for evidence and real world examples. In addition, I like how short but to the point the article was.

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Why Don’t More Olympians Talk About Mental Illness? | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

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Many Olympians have commented that the mental aspect of the game far exceeds the physical. So why is it that Olympians are so often asked about their physical health, but rarely about their mental health?

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How Collaborative Mental Health Care For Competitive And High-Performance Athletes Is Implemented: A Novel Interdisciplinary Case Study

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How Collaborative Mental Health Care For Competitive And High-Performance Athletes Is Implemented: A Novel Interdisciplinary Case Study

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.“How Collaborative Mental Health Care For Competitive And High-Performance Athletes Is Implemented: A Novel Interdisciplinary Case Study”
.Krista J. Van Slingerland, Poppy DesClouds, Natalie Durand-Bush, Véronique Boudreault, and Anna Abraham
.Scholarly Article

Summary: This article is talking about a case study that was done around collaboration and health care. In this case study, a teen girl who had a chronic illness was followed around for 11 months seeing how collaborative health could benefit her treatment. They concluded that it was very helpful and they believe it would be helpful for athletes to have a system like this for their mental health.

Evaluation: This seems to be a scholarly article just by the fact that the writer seems to be Professionals who are talking about their fields, otherwise their resources are popular written for the general population but I think they are more likely to be scholarly articles. They seem to be more focused on their fields and I would guess that they go into a lot of scientific terms that would not be of a basic, populational understanding. This article was also labeled as a scholarly article on the msu library page.

Reflection: I think this important would be more useful if they actually did a case study on an athlete who struggled with mental health. I do not think it would help my claims to use data that does not truly show a correction between mental health and athletes. I think this data would be helpful for getting coach’s and professional to start a conversation about theming collaborations when it comes to the health of their athletes but do not think it is enough evidence to create a change. I think I could use this information to explain how athletes can have added stress put on them and why having more support would help. I do not know if the whole study and analysis has information to explain what added stress athletes have put on them but I do believe it could help explain why it is important for athletes to get help.

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RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPORTS SCIENTIFIC TRAINING AND ATHLETES' MENTAL HEALTH. / INVESTIGACIÓN SOBRE LA RELACIÓN ENTRE EL ENTRENAMIENTO CIENTÍFICO DEPORTIVO Y LA SALUD MENTAL DE LOS DEPORTISTAS.

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RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPORTS SCIENTIFIC TRAINING AND ATHLETES' MENTAL HEALTH. / INVESTIGACIÓN SOBRE LA RELACIÓN ENTRE EL ENTRENAMIENTO CIENTÍFICO DEPORTIVO Y LA SALUD MENTAL DE LOS DEPORTISTAS.

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.Fuling Han
.Scholarly Article
Summary: The article is broken down into an introduction, method, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgments, and references. This article contains a lot of images and mathematical equations that I was surprised to see. I was expecting to see more statistical evidence for the study. The article analyzes the relationship between training stress and social support plays on elite athletes mental health. The method was using questionnaires to measure how athletes felt. In the introduction it talks about how they want to know the relationship between sports fatigue and mental health in elite athletes by paying close attention to several different aspects of these athletes like age or gender. I believe they are doing this to find what ways training stress can be cut back and not lead to such a negative impact on an athletes’ mental health and what things can be done to reduce the likelihood of a negative impact. They conclude that training programs should be adjusted to accommodate tracing fatigue so athletes can fully recover mentally and physically without adding more stress on themselves. They also add on some ideas of ways to help prevent fatigue by having athletes take measures such as learning coping skills and how to self-adjust their workouts.They do not ask any additional questions in their conclusion. I think more research could go into how much reformed training plans truly impact these athletes' mental health instead of just questionnaires.

Evaluation: This seems to be a scholarly article just by the fact that the writer seems to be a Professional talking about their fields, otherwise their resources are popular written for the general population but I think they are more likely to be scholarly articles. They seem to be more focused on their fields and I would guess that they go into a lot of scientific terms that would not be of a basic, populational understanding. There are six references listed.

Reflection: I think this article would fit under my “How can sports put added stress on athletes?” I think I could use the relationships found in the article to strengthen my claims around the impact sports can have on mental health for several reasons but there is not much statistical data for me to use and build off of.

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Mental health issues remain on minds of student-athletes - NCAA.org

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.“Mental Health Issues Remain On Minds Of Student-Athletes”
.Greg Johnson
.Popular Source

Summary: This article explains that NCAA conducted a study that surveyed student-athletes in college about how they felt around mental health and if they knew what to do. They had a lot of statistics from this 9,800 person study and these statistics are separated by gender. I like how it talks about how student-athletes felt about transferring, academic experience, equity, and the resources they had at hand. I think it is important to note that this Trudy was conducted during covid so the data might not be as accurate to how athletes are feeling now.

Evaluation: I believe this is a popular source because it is written for the general public with the aim to inform people with a basic knowledge just to push them to understand how important this topic is. In addition, it do not seem to have any studies conducted or a very high professional vocabulary, making it a scholarly article. Also, it does not seem to be trying to trade an item or knowledge for money or another type of benefit. It is just aim to educate people about this study and how much mental health can impact more than just an athlete’s performance.

Reflection: I think this article is amazing and would be very helpful in a research paper. Not only does this article come from NCAA themselves but their study was conducted by their student-athletes. I like that they give so much information about their study and give numbers to support and show the significance of the data. I believe it would be very helpful in supporting my claim and supports my question of “how sports can add added stress on athletes” by explaining what added stresses they are put through.

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Media Center Greg Johnson

More than 9,800 responded to well-being survey

As a follow-up to two NCAA student-athlete well-being studies conducted in 2020, student-athletes continue to report elevated levels of mental health concerns.

The data indicated rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression have seen little change since fall 2020 and remain 1.5 to two times higher than identified before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, student-athletes reported lower levels of hopelessness in fall 2021 than in the first year of the pandemic.

The Association-wide survey, which was open from Nov. 17-Dec. 13, had responses from over 9,800 student-athletes. It was designed by NCAA research in collaboration with the NCAA Sport Science Institute and the Division I, II and III Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.

This study did not measure student-athlete responses relative to the overall college student population, which is dealing with these mental health issues, as well.

When responding to mental health support questions, 69% of women's sports participants and 63% of men's sports participants agreed or strongly agreed that they know where to go on campus if they have mental health concerns.

Under the NCAA constitution, each member school is charged with facilitating an environment that reinforces physical and mental health within athletics by ensuring access to appropriate resources and open engagement with respect to physical and mental health.

But when asked if they would feel comfortable seeking support from a mental health provider on campus, less than half of women's sports and men's sports participants answered that they would agree or strongly agree with that statement (48% and 46%, respectively).

Continuing outreach efforts on campus is one way to try to change the disconnect between knowing where to go if mental health issues arise and feeling comfortable seeking that assistance.

"A lot of what influences the direction on this topic is what sort of conversations are happening on a campus surrounding mental health," said Scott Hamilton, a mental health clinical counselor at DePauw. "Are there groups on campus, whether through the athletics department or through counseling services, using their voice to help reduce the stigma?"

Hamilton is also the coordinator of student-athlete mental health at DePauw. In that role, Hamilton has witnessed firsthand how student-athletes' attitudes can change.

He said it is fascinating to conduct mindfulness training or psychological flexibility training with a team.

"Within a week or two, you start to see some familiar faces show up at the counseling center," said Hamilton, who has worked at DePauw for 12 years. "When college campuses are willing to have open conversations about the importance of mental health, taking care of yourself mentally can ease the apprehension of student-athletes seeking help."

The Sport Science Institute provides health and safety resources to college athletes, coaches, athletics administrators and campus partners. The mental health educational resources include a review of best practices, data and research and summits and task forces.

The survey included a question about teammates taking mental health concerns of one another seriously. Sixty-five percent of women's sports participants and 58% of men's sports participants agreed or strongly agreed that they did. Along those lines, 56% of both men's and women's sports participants reported that they knew how to help a teammate experiencing a mental health issue.

When asked whether they thought their mental health was a priority to their athletics department, 55% of men's sports participants and 47% of women's sports student-athletes agreed or strongly agreed.

When asked whether their coaches took their mental health concerns seriously, 59% of the men's sports participants agreed or strongly agreed, and 50% of the women's sports participants did so.

Mental health concerns during the pandemic

Mental health concerns remained highest among student-athlete demographic subgroups commonly displaying higher rates of mental distress (women, student-athletes of color, those identifying on the queer spectrum and those reporting family economic hardship).

This survey, along with the previous two surveys, asked participants whether they felt mentally exhausted, experienced sleep difficulties, felt overwhelming anxiety, felt sad, felt a sense of loss or felt things were hopeless.

The largest percentage point decrease was seen among women's sports respondents with regards to feeling very lonely or hopeless.

Sixteen percent of the women's sports participants said they felt very lonely constantly or most every day, a drop of 5 percentage points from the fall 2020 survey. Ten percent of women's sports respondents reported feeling things were hopeless, compared with 16% who responded that way in the previous survey.

Thirty-eight percent of those in women's sports and 22% of the men's sports participants reported feeling mentally exhausted constantly or most every day, the most common concern reported.

Academic experiences

Student-athletes expressed more optimism about their ability to keep up with and pass their fall 2021 courses as compared with spring and fall 2020.

Half of the student-athletes were pleased about their ability to find balance between academics and extracurricular activities, including athletics. Self-reported balance was higher among men's sports athletes (56%) than women's sports athletes (47%).

Factors regarding transferring

Since the Division I governance structure changed the one-time exception transfer rules to include baseball, football, men's and women's basketball, and men's ice hockey before the 2021-22 academic year, transfers have become a hotter topic with media and fans.

Eight percent of all student-athlete respondents indicated that it was likely they would transfer at some point during the 2021-22 academic year.

Mental health (61% women's sports participants, 40% men's sports participants), conflict with a coach or teammates (56% women's sports participants, 34% men's sports participants) and playing time (34% women's sports participants, 36% men's sports participants) were the most cited reasons for contemplating transfers, among those considering doing so at some point in the year.

Race and gender equity

Student-athletes continue to volunteer in their communities, take part in social and civic engagement activities and learn more about injustices on their own.

Eighty-four percent of women's sports respondents and 78% of men's sport respondents said they occasionally or frequently performed volunteer work. Two-thirds of the men's and women's sports participants said they occasionally or frequently discussed politics.

Regarding racial justice engagement over the prior six months, 81% of women's sports participants and 73% of men's sports participants took an active role in learning more about race or racial justice on their own. More than 60% of both women's and men's sports participants said they had conversations with teammates focused on race or racial justice.

In gender equity engagement, 72% of women's sports participants and 56% of men's sports participants reported actively trying to learn more about gender equity on their own. Fifty-eight percent of women and 46% of men occasionally or frequently had conversations with teammates focused on gender equity.

Educational resources

Student-athletes were most likely to indicate a desire for educational resources on tax and financial literacy; career planning; navigating name, image and likeness opportunities; and professional opportunities in sport.

Fifty percent of the women's sports participants and 49% of the male sports participants wanted more resources on tax literacy and education.

In regard to navigating NIL opportunities, 42% of the men's sports participants and 39% of the women sports participants said they wanted more educational resources.

Forty-one percent of the men's sports participants and 35% of the women's sports respondents wanted resources regarding professional opportunities in their sport.

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Mental health issues remain on minds of student-athletes - NCAA.org

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As a follow-up to two NCAA student-athlete well-being studies conducted in 2020, student-athletes continue to report elevated levels of mental health concerns.

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Mental Health and Athletes - Athletes for Hope

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.“Mental Health & Athletes”
.Robin Kuik, UT MSSW & MPH Candidate 2019 and Suzanne Potts, LMSW, MPH in 2019
.Popular Source

Summary: This article gives a lot of basic information on how mental health affects people and then dives into a basic understanding of how mental health can harm athletes. Also, they talk about how being a student athlete and performing can and normally added more pressure on athletes which can negatively impact their mental health. The article gives a few statistics around mental health numbers and how much it affects the population. I love that it gives examples of athletes who have struggled and how it concludes with resources for families and athletes. Overall, I love how much date they use to prove their point that mental health in athletes really needs to be focused on.

Evaluation: I believe this is a popular source because it is written for the general public with the aim to inform people with a basic knowledge just to push them to understand how important this topic is. In addition, it do not seem to have any studies conducted or a very high professional vocabulary, making it a scholarly article. Also, it does not seem to be trying to trade an item or knowledge for money or another type of benefit even though they do have a self-care plan available on their website.

Reflection: I think is source would be helpful to back up my main ideas of how important mental health in athletes should be taken with the stats it gives. Also, I think is explains pretty well how physical activity tends to help those suffering from mental health issues but how it can negatively impact athletes which was one of my questions.

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Mental Health and Athletes - Athletes for Hope

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Mental Health & Athletes In 2019, we first published this article discussing athlete mental health. Since then, we have created the Whole Being Athlete program to be better advocates in…

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Athletes and Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma

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.“Athletes and Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma”
.Cleveland Clinics
.Popular Source

Summary: This article is talking about how there is a stigma around mental health and athletes. It talks about how this stigma adds pressure on athletes and how much mental health affects them and adds more pressure around performance. It really hits hard on why it is so important to end this stigma so athletes can get the help they deserve without losing out on sports or the figure they seem to be. This article explains that mental physical health is just as important, if not more important than an athlete's physical health. It also gives tips for parents and information on how mental health struggles can appear physically. The article concludes that the only way to really end the stigma is by having open conversations around mental health and acknowledging that it is important. They also give example of a study that highlights how much of an impact mental health makes on athletes.

Evaluation: I believe this is a popular source because it is written for the general public with the aim to inform people with a basic knowledge just to push them to understand how important this topic is. In addition, it do not seem to have any studies conducted or a very high professional vocabulary, making it a scholarly article. Also, it does not seem to be trying to trade an item or knowledge for money or another type of benefit. It is just aim to create a change.

Reflection: I think I would use this source as a way to build on to my topics and prove that my main thoughts around my question “how can sports put added stress on athletes?”. I like that it has a quotes from Dr. Sacco and a link to his creditability. On top of that, I enjoy the strong claims he states which prove my claims and since he is a creditable source it just reinforces my basic argument.

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Nobody questions an athlete taking time to recover from a sprained ankle or broken wrist. Those injuries are easy to see and come with a clear understanding that they cannot be ignored.

But what about when athletes need to step away to tend to their mental health needs?

Depression and anxiety are not diagnoses evident on an X-ray or MRI, but they can be every bit as limiting or debilitating as a physical injury. Too often, however, these issues are ignored in the name of grit.

A national conversation on the issue has begun, though - and rightfully so, says sports psychologist Matthew Sacco, PhD. Let's talk about why.

Athletes and mental health

Athletes often carry a larger-than-life persona in the public eye. They're regarded as modern-day warriors, competitors who bravely push past obstacles and adversity in the pursuit of victory.

But they're something else, too: "Athletes are people," says Dr. Sacco.

As such, they're going to wrestle with the same complex issues as the rest of us. They're not immune to the stresses of life. A 2016 study found that college athletes reported symptoms of depression at a similar rate to the general student population.

Asking for help, though, can carry a stigma for athletes, notes Dr. Sacco. "Because if you're tough, there's a misconception that you should be able to just do it yourself. You don't have to get help."

And that idea, he says, only creates bigger problems as time goes by.

The stress of athletics and competition

Stress isn't unique to athletics, but the unique culture of sports can serve as a pressure cooker. The aggressive environment within locker rooms often preys on any perception of weakness, says Dr. Sacco.

Then add in the perfectionist mindset of many competitors. It's a powerful force, but that drive can also leave athletes feeling unsatisfied no matter how well they perform.

Finding a healthy balance in this cauldron can be difficult. "As you work your way up the level of competition, it turns the heat up on some of these factors - and they can become a little bit more pronounced depending on the person," notes Dr. Sacco.

Signs of mental health changes

Many athletes won't actively seek mental health help when they need it. Instead, somebody - maybe a coach or parent - might notice that "something seems off" and encourage them to talk about it.

Signs that an athlete may need an assessment of their mental health include:

"How do we measure someone who might be struggling with depression in a way that people can see, like an X-Ray for a broken bone?" asks Dr. Sacco. "We're looking at things that seem like side issues but might be connected to a whole host of deeper matters."

How mental health affects athletic performance

So how much can a mental health matter affect an athlete's performance? "I think at a very basic level it's a distraction," says Dr. Sacco. "At the very minimum, if your mind is full of other things, then it can just be a distraction."

These distractions can become magnified as stakes rise and competitions carry a higher sense of importance, bringing with it an increased pressure to perform.

Sometimes, a change in an athlete's mental state may just result in a poor score or performance. For example, a baseball player who suddenly can't throw or a golfer who develops the "yips" while putting.

Other times, a distracted mind could be dangerous - such as when a gymnast is flipping through the air or a downhill skier is swooshing down a slope. "That lack of focus can be quite catastrophic," says Dr. Sacco.

In any of these cases, though, Dr. Sacco says athletes deserve time to sort things out - even if that means sitting on the sidelines for a bit.

"I think as onlookers, we see it from this kind of armchair standpoint where we think we can understand it, and the athlete should just be able to figure this out," says Dr. Sacco. "And I think that really lacks any kind of real awareness of what's really going on."

Making mental health a priority for athletes

In today's win-at-all-cost world, a competitor shutting down to deal with a mental health concern can bring unwanted labels such as "quitter." Worries about that serve as an enormous obstacle to athletes getting the care they need.

"Athletes are being told that mental health is a priority and then they're not being supported," says Dr. Sacco. "It gives a mixed message. We're still swimming upstream against this idea that mental health is not perceived as a whole to be as important as physical health problems."

The solution? Open conversation and an acknowledgment that mental health needs to be a priority, says Dr. Sacco.

Prominent athletes sharing their experiences has drawn more attention to the topic in recent years. The ongoing discussion started by these influential voices has broadened our understanding of mental health issues.

For young athletes, in particular, starting this conversation is critical to building a culture where it's OK to talk about the mental health aspect of competition.

"We need to lead by example," says Dr. Sacco. "I think we need to take into consideration that just because something was done a certain way in the past, that doesn't mean it's the most appropriate or best approach."

Tips for parents of young athletes

For years, the advice regarding mental health issues could essentially be boiled down to four words: Just push through it. That's not guidance that resolves an issue.

If you're a parent with a young athlete in your house, encourage them to talk, advises Dr. Sacco. Then make sure you listen with an open mind. Focus on understanding their situation, not on making your point.

"Give them a voice," Dr. Sacco says. "Make sure they feel heard so that we're not continuing a cycle of ignoring these issues. Don't be afraid to bring up the issue. The risk of not addressing this is far greater in the long run."

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Athletes and Mental Health: Breaking the Stigma

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Nobody questions an athlete taking time to recover from a sprained ankle or broken wrist. But what about when athletes need to step away to tend to their mental health needs? Examine the issue with a sports psychologist at Cleveland Clinic.

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How mental health can be negatively or positively impacted by sports?

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How mental health can be negatively or positively impacted by sports?

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How can sports put added stress on athletes?

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How can sports put added stress on athletes?