Mental Health Stigma in Sports

From a young age, promising athletes are instructed to show no fear, to be the toughest, fastest and most fearless competitors on the field. They are also told to never show weakness, whether it be physical or mental. And that fear of showing weakness, could be the culprit behind so many suicides and mental health issues in both professional and amateur sports.

“Succumbing to injury was like submitting to an opponent. If Seau was hurting during training camp, he would have doctors treat him in his dorm room or at his home to prevent teammates from seeing him in a state of weakness,’ (Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated.)

Junior Seau was a ten-time NFL All Pro linebacker who died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the abdomen. Much like any physical injury, Junior would never have dreamt of talking openly about his mental injuries, and now, he is gone.

And Sadly, His Story is Not Unique.

Just last year, NHL’ers Rick Rypien, Derek Boogaard, and Wade Belak all died by their own hands; Belak and Rypien of suicide and Boogaard from an overdose of alcohol and painkillers. As these three men were all ‘enforcers’ in the league, it begs hundreds of questions regarding both brain injuries as well as the inner-struggle of an athlete sought after solely for his physical prowess.

We may never know the exact reasons these men in professional sports chose to take their own lives, but one thing we do know is that they were not able to reach out, before it was too late.

Mental Illness is Invisible

It’s hard enough for a professional athlete to admit to themselves, let alone their teammates or fans that they have suffered from a dislocated shoulder, let alone a disconnected mind. Physical injuries can be seen. And for the most part, there is an effective treatment with an exact prognosis and assumed length of stay on the disabled list.

Mental illness is much less concrete. It is invisible, and society fears what it cannot see. A diagnosis of depression could mean an afternoon off the field, or a two-year hiatus. A diagnosis of drug-dependence may require a month long stay in a treatment centre, or the end of a promising career.

But with proper treatment, especially at the first onset of symptoms, the prognosis for many mental illnesses is actually quite promising. But if stigma prevents athletes from seeking treatment, the end result is unfortunately addiction, or even more tragically, suicide.

Athletes Are Not Exempt

But just because mental illness is complicated, it does not give us an excuse to shove it under the rug. One in four Americans will suffer from a mental illness at one point in their lives. Athletes are not immune to it and I would wager that with the stresses or professional sports, may actually be more prone to some forms of mental illness.

By pretending that athletes are somehow immune to mental health issues, or somehow 'tougher' than the rest of us, we aren't doing anyone any favours. In fact, we are risking lives by making it more difficult for athletes who legitimately want psychiatric help to come out of the mental health closet.

Mental health symptoms aren’t a sign of weakness.

It’s a sign that you’re human.

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