Mental Health & College Athletes: The Hidden Battle We Don’t Talk About
If you’ve been following my last two blog posts, you might have noticed a pattern. It seems that I can’t stop talking about the topic of mental health. And honestly, that’s because it’s one of the most important yet overlooked aspects of being a student-athlete.
As I have stated before, I am currently on the men's lacrosse team here at Stevens Institute of Technology. I’ve experienced firsthand how mental health can be the difference between feeling on top of the world and feeling completely drained. Student-athletes push their bodies to the limit, but what about our minds? We’re expected to train, compete, study, network, perform, and somehow have a social life, all while pretending we’ve got it all figured out. But let’s be real, most of us don’t! And the worst part, we don’t talk about it enough. The culture in sports demands mental toughness, but when that toughness comes at the expense of our well-being, we start to see cracks in the system.
The Reality of Mental Health for Student-Athletes
You hear it all the time as an athlete: Mental toughness. Grit. Be relentless. Coaches love to preach these qualities, and while they matter, they can sometimes mask real struggles that athletes are facing.
Student-athletes are often seen as some of the most disciplined and resilient individuals, but behind that strength lies a very big but hidden mental toll. Morning workouts, pushing our bodies through grueling practices, sitting through hours of classes, and somehow trying to maintain friendships, relationships, and, most importantly - our sanity.
The statistics paint a clear picture:
30% of college students report experiencing depression, yet for student-athletes, the added pressure amplifies everything.
30% of college athletes report experiencing symptoms of depression, a rate higher than the general college population.
38% of female athletes and 22% of male athletes report feeling mentally exhausted constantly or almost every day.
29% of female student-athletes report feeling overwhelming anxiety daily.
Only 50% of student-athletes feel comfortable seeking mental health support.
We are expected to perform at an elite level every single day, whether in the classroom, on the field, or in our social lives. But at what cost? Many student-athletes struggle in silence because admitting we need help feels like admitting that we are weak. The irony is, if we sprain an ankle or pull a hamstring, we have no problem seeing the trainer. But when it comes to mental struggles? Many of us just try to push through it, which only makes things worse.
It’s Not Just Me—Everyone Feels It
I’ve had countless conversations with friends who play college sports at other schools, and their experiences with mental health are very similar. It’s not just a “me” problem, it’s a widespread issue that no one wants to talk about.
A Division I basketball player told me how the constant pressure to perform made him dread every game, something he never imagined feeling as a kid who loved the sport. He felt like every mistake, every missed shot, was going to cost him his starting position, his scholarship, or even his future.
A women's soccer player at a DIII school said she felt isolated. Her schedule was too packed for socializing, and she had no time to see a therapist even when she knew she needed help. Between early morning lifts, classes, practice, team meetings, and traveling for games, she barely had time to breathe, let alone prioritize her mental health.
A track athlete at a top academic school admitted that the pressure to maintain high grades and still perform at an elite level had left him in a cycle of anxiety and self-doubt. He constantly felt like he was falling short in one area of his life. If he did well in a meet, he was behind in school. If he focused on school, his performance on the track suffered. There was a major struggle to balance both.
We all have different sports, different schools, different environments, but the struggle? It’s universal.
The “Tough It Out” Mentality is Hurting Us athletes.
In sports, we train to push through pain. Sprained ankle? Tape it up and get ready to play. Feeling exhausted? Drink some caffeine, pre-work, and get ready. That mentality works in some cases, but when it comes to mental health, pushing through doesn’t fix the problem.
Here’s what happens instead:
Athletes ignore their stress and anxiety. They feel like they have no time to deal with it or they believe that if they admit to struggling, it makes them “mentally weak.”
All these feelings build up and this starts affecting performance. Suddenly, they can’t focus in class, they’re feeling sluggish on the field, and their motivation to succeed in the classroom and on the field starts to slip away.
They burn out, and suddenly, the sport they love feels like a job. Instead of looking forward to practices and games, they dread them. THIS IS VERY COMMON!
Some athletes even quit because they can’t take the mental and physical burden anymore. This is the real tragedy. Think about it, these athletes who have spent their entire lives dedicated to their sport and finally get to a position that they dreamed of, ultimately feel like they have no choice but to walk away from it all.
I’ve seen all of the above happen. I have even felt like this myself.
This problem goes beyond just college sports. The way mental health is treated in society has been heavily debated by experts, including Elyn Saks and Robert Whitaker.
Elyn Saks, who has written extensively about her struggles with schizophrenia, has talked about the stigma of mental health and how even the most accomplished individuals often suffer in silence . Her story is a powerful reminder that even those who appear to have everything together may be battling something unseen which is just like student-athletes.
Robert Whitaker, an investigative journalist who has written extensively about the failures of the mental health care system, argues that psychiatric medication is often overprescribed without addressing the real underlying issues. This is especially relevant to athletes, who may be prescribed anti-anxiety or depression medication without being offered alternative coping mechanisms or therapy that truly understands the demands of sports.
If we are serious about mental health, we need to do more than just prescribe medication.
We need real support systems and real solutions.
The Lack of Mental Health Resources for Athletes
Even when student-athletes recognize they need help, getting access to mental health resources is a whole other challenge.
Many schools don’t have sports psychologists on staff. If you want to talk to someone, you’re stuck using the same overbooked counseling center as the rest of campus.
At some schools, there’s only one mental health professional for thousands of students (CDC, 2022).
Even when schools provide access to therapy, it’s often limited to a few sessions per semester, which is not enough for students dealing with long-term mental health struggles (CDC, 2022).
And the worst part? Athletes don’t always feel comfortable asking for help.
Many people have asked me if I have ever tried using the counseling services at school. This is something that is hard to do. Many college counselors do not know how to handle college athletes. Most of them if not all have never played a college sport and they are not able to connect to my struggles. If you have not lived what college athletes go through, then you will never fully understand how we feel.
Advice such as:
“Maybe it is best to quit”
“Try talking to your coach or teammates”
“Maybe take a break for a few days or week and then return back to the team”
This is the exact opposite of what we want to hear. We want to go to a counseling service that actually understands how we feel and gives us advice on how to do this in ways that we can involve in our everyday life.
So, What Needs to Change?
If we’re serious about mental health in athletics, we need to start making real changes:
Normalize therapy for athletes.
If we can have team doctors and trainers for physical injuries, why not mental health professionals too?
Every college athletic department should provide free and accessible therapy options.
Coaches need to be part of the solution.
Stop equating mental health struggles with weakness.
Create an environment where athletes feel safe talking about stress and burnout.
Fix the accessibility issue.
Colleges should offer mental health care as part of tuition, just like they do for medical visits.
More schools should provide free counseling sessions specifically for athletes.
End the stigma around medication.
If an athlete needs antidepressants or anti-anxiety meds, that shouldn’t be a secret.
Just like any other medical treatment, it should be openly discussed and managed properly.
The Lack of Mental Health Resources for Athletes
Even when student-athletes recognize they need help, getting access to mental health resources is a whole other challenge.
Many schools don’t have sports psychologists on staff. If you want to talk to someone, you’re stuck using the same overbooked counseling center as the rest of campus.
At some schools, there’s only one mental health professional for thousands of students.
Even when therapy is offered, it’s limited to a few sessions per semester, which is not enough for long-term struggles.
And the worst part? Athletes don’t always feel comfortable asking for help.
We Can’t Keep Ignoring This
As someone who lives the student-athlete experience every day, I know how tough it can be. We push ourselves to the limit, and sometimes that limit feels like it’s pushing back.
But here’s the truth: mental health is just as important as physical health.
It’s time to start having real conversations about mental health in sports. Not just in press conferences. Not just in awareness campaigns. But in our locker rooms, in our friend groups, and in our daily lives.
Charlie Health. “Athlete Depression: Signs, Causes, and How to Get Help.” Charlie Health, 4 May 2023,
iSport360. “Why College Athletes Struggle with Depression and Anxiety.” iSport360, 2023,
NCAA. “College Sports Not Immune to Mental Health Challenges.” NCAA.org, 4 May 2023,
Comments
Post a Comment