Is it okay to talk to athletes about mental health in sports?

Many coaches have wondered whether it is okay to talk about mental health with their athletes. Is this a topic that should be out in the open, or avoided completely? Will conversations about mental health put athletes at greater risk for having mental health issues?

At the USC-MHS, we encourage coaches to talk about mental health with their athletes. It’s a positive part of athlete development to teach them how to check in on themselves.

Mental Wellness Check-Ins Should Happen Just As Often as Physical Wellness Check-Ins

We often ask athletes how they are feeling physically. “How is that shoulder doing today?”, “Are you feeling rested?”, “Do your muscles feel good – are you ready to play?” We encourage them regularly to check in with how their body feels – and when they aren’t 100%, we ask them to take steps to get back to their full capacity. 

Let’s also start encouraging athletes to check in with how their mind feels. Creating a safe space for acknowledging mental health and practicing checking in regularly will improve their ability to recognize any mental health concerns early; hopefully early enough that small steps toward healing are enough to get them back on track – before the problem endangers their wellbeing or safety.

Avoiding the Topic of Mental Health Adds to the Stigma

When we shy away from talking about mental health, we also may give athletes the impression that their feelings are abnormal. There tends to be a stereotype in sports that athletes are tough; nothing ever bothers them. As a result, when athletes feel emotions like anxiety about a big game, stress about the number of hours of training, sad about losing a game, or any number of others, they may feel like something is seriously wrong with them. In addition to those initial feelings, they may be left wondering why they can’t be tough like the other athletes and not let these things bother them – only exacerbating the problem.

Athletes need to know that experiencing different emotions is perfectly normal. We should also let them know that mental health, like physical health, falls along a continuum. Some days are better than others. There are great days, terrible days, and anything in between – all of which are completely normal. However, based on recommendations from MentalHeath.net, it is time to get professional help if:

  • Sadness, feelings of depression or anxiety, or any other signs or symptoms of mental health issues persist for more than two weeks
  • If the mental health concern is interfering with the athlete’s ability to function at sporting events, in school, with family, or in their social life
  • If there is contemplation of self-harm or suicide

Start the Conversation!

So, should coaches talk about mental health to their athletes – absolutely! It educates athletes, helps them develop skills they need to self-evaluate, and even if they are experiencing mental health issues, talking about mental health can aid the healing process.

If you are worried about feeling awkward talking about mental health with your athletes, Banyan Mental Health recommends practicing what you will say in front of a mirror first so you can become more comfortable with the topic.

Keep checking back to the USC-MHS Learning Center and Resources pages for more information about how to lead mental health conversations with your athletes.

USC-MHS: In Pursuit of a Mission

The US Center for Mental Health & Sport (USC-MHS) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in pursuit of a mission to provide a sports environment for all participants that allows their mental wellness to thrive. We believe in participation in sport and the numerous benefits gained from participation. But we also believe that one area where sport organizations can do better for everyone involved is in supporting mental health. Our official mission statement reflects our aim to help sport organizations do just that.

Our mission:

The US Center for Mental Health & Sport develops sport environments that allow for optimum mental wellness by providing mental health training and resources, opening pathways to access additional mental health support services, and committing to the advancement of mental health and sport research.

The Growing Mental Health Crisis:

Our organization was initiated in recognition of a mental health crisis impacting our entire nation and touching the lives of individuals in all age groups. As annual data collected by Mental Health America indicates, youth and adult mental health has worsened and this decline has accelerated due to COVID-19; rates of suicide, suicidal ideation, and thoughts of self-harm are increasing; there is greater unmet need for treatment and significant percentages of both youth and adults who are uninsured or do not have access to mental health care services.

Why Address Mental Health in Sports?

In acknowledging the growing mental health crisis, our organization sees a twofold role for sport organizations in communities.

  1. With the rates of individuals facing challenging mental health experiences on the rise, our communities cannot rely on clinical healthcare settings alone to counteract this crisis, nor is it in the best interest of our community members to allow mental health issues to go unsupported until they have worsened to the point of needing clinical care. Our communities need local organizations to become involved and play an active role in supporting mental health. Sports organizations already play an integral role in our communities, and the USC-MHS aims to provide information, training, resources, and pathways for these sports organizations to also help with the prevention and early intervention of mental health issues.
  2. We also recognize that sports participation, in any capacity, is not free of its own unique risk factors for experiencing mental health challenges. The USC-MHS provides training that educates about these risk factors and provides action plans to mitigate their negative effects while also enhancing the mental health support and protective factors that are present in sport.

Mission Pursuit Strategies

In order to fulfill our mission, our current endeavors involve four primary initiatives.

  1. Provide mental health awareness training to coaches, athletes, parents, administrators, officials and any others involved in sport.
  2. Provide counseling and therapy services to sport families and participants and ensure there are clear pathways to additional mental health support.
  3. Develop content and resources related to mental health that can be accessed by the sport community.
  4. Promote continued research on mental health and sport through an established group of research fellows.

Additional articles providing more specific information on each of these strategies are coming soon.

Can I Get Involved?

The USC-MHS website contains an updated list of opportunities that individuals who are interested should refer to if they want to become involved (https://mentalhealthandsport.org/get-involved). We are also always grateful for donations to support our cause, help save lives by reducing suicide rates, and allow all sport participants to reach their optimum mental wellness.  (https://mentalhealthandsport.org/donations/usc-mhs01/).