NCAA Student-Athletes and Mental Health
Introduction
Student Athlete’s mental health has been a controversial topic in the last few decades. Who would have thought that a population of students who are resilient, strong, and focused on winning could battle fears and anxieties behind the scenes? It turns out that mental health issues don’t discriminate or care about how strong you are. For this reason, the main thing we want to achieve in this article is normalize mental health struggles among student-athletes and discuss the most common issues affecting them. Near the end of the article, you will find some tips on how to address mental health challenges if you’re currently suffering from one.
Mental health in student-athletes stats
How many athletes struggle with mental health? There are approximately a half-million collegiate student-athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), attending over 1000 colleges and universities in over 100 athletic conferences. College is a difficult time for many student-athletes. It is a time of transitioning and adapting to a new lifestyle, groups of friends, and learning to juggle studies and sports. All these factors can leave many student athletes stressed and overwhelmed, which creates more risk for mental health disorders. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why athletes are twice as likely to experience anxiety compared to non-student-athletes.
According to the American College Health Association, over 30% of students reported significant signs of depression and are at a high risk for eating disorders, and substance and alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, being a top professional in sports doesn’t improve these numbers—quite the contrary. Around 40% of elite athletes may experience symptoms of common mental disorders according to a study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which can indicate a potential student-athlete mental health crisis. Besides, those who are injured are twice as likely to experience depression.
As you can see, even top-performing and resilient people such as athletes are vulnerable to mental health disorders. In this article, we will discuss the most common mental health issues affecting student-athletes and their main triggers.
Depression
According to a recent study, 25% of student athletes experienced clinically relevant symptoms of depression in 2023. Besides, up to 40% of NCAA student-athletes were at risk of developing depression in the near future. However, these numbers should not come as a surprise. Given the demanding, stressful, and competitive nature of the athletic environment, it makes sense that many student-athletes run out of resources to cope. Depression is a mental health disorder that manifests in low mood, sadness, helplessness, lethargy and loss of motivation and drive. In more serious cases, it can even cause people suicidal thoughts and lack of will to carry on living.
While it is difficult to point at the specific thing that triggers depression, we can certainly discuss some risk factors that lead to this condition. Some risk factors for depression are:
- Previous trauma
- Chemical imbalances
- Significant life events (moving from home, death of a loved one)
- Injury
- Loneliness & lack of social support
- Extreme stress and exhaustion
- Sleep disturbances
In the athletic context, an additional risk factor is the pressure to succeed that many athletes feel. Student-athletes are told to dream big and aim high, but not all of them feel well-equipped to meet those standards. In some cases, they deal with internal barriers such as low self-esteem, fear of taking risks, and lack of confidence. When these barriers meet external standards, the result is a feeling of being pressured and helpless. When experienced frequently, these feelings can create depressive symptoms which undressed can develop into a full depressive episode.
Here is what you should look out for if you suspect that you or someone close to you experiences depression:
- Feelings of unexplained sadness
- Low mood, leathery, low energy
- Tiredness and sleep disturbances
Depression is also accompanied by thoughts such as ‘I am unworthy’, ‘I can’t do this’ ‘There is no point in trying’, I have no chances to succeed’. Motivation seems to have disappeared, and you no longer find interest in things you once enjoyed.
Anxiety
Almost every student-athlete experience has an episode of anxiety. In a sense, this is normal. Pushing yourself to new limits will challenge your mind to go outside your comfort zone, which can trigger fear and anxiety.
These feelings only become problematic when they affect your daily functioning and performance. Sadly, this is very often the case for so many student-athletes. While anxiety is less common than depression among student-athletes, it is still a mental condition that should receive the utmost attention. In a recent survey, at least 8 in 10 respondents (83%) reported feeling “overwhelmed by all you had to do,” and 48% reported “overwhelming anxiety”. In student-athletes, anxiety is caused by constant stress and performance demands placed on athletes. Given the busy schedules they have to juggle all the time, athletes might feel that they never have enough time and resources to successfully respond to all these demands. They might be in a constant state of rush and panic, which makes them unable to fully switch off from their careers.
You can recognize anxiety in yourself or a loved one by the following symptoms:
- Worry, agitation, and fidgeting
- Spiralling thoughts
- The feeling of being out of control of your emotions
- Intense fear which can sometimes even develop into a panic attack
The thoughts you might have in response to anxiety are “I am out of control” “This is dangerous” “I cannot cope” “I am overwhelmed with fear”.
On a physical level, anxiety is accompanied by heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, numbness in hands, and difficulty breathing.
Given the amount of student-athlete responsibilities, it is normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed now and then. But if you suspect that your mental health symptoms are more serious than a simple stress reaction, get in touch with your local student-athlete services or seek the support of a professional.
Substance abuse
In response to feeling anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed, many student athletes resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance use and abuse. These serve as a temporary relief from unpleasant feelings but, in the longer term, result in serious mental health conditions that can even jeopardize an athlete’s sports career. According to the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, performance-related anxiety was a ‘significant predictor’ of substance abuse, and those over the age of 21, especially males, are more likely to engage in risky behavior.
Signs and symptoms of substance abuse can include:
- Drowsiness
- Lack of coordination
- Fatigue
- Mood changes and emotional instability
- Memory problems
- Concentration issues
- Loss of physical strength and stamina
In young student-athletes, substance abuse is even more dangerous, since their brains are still developing. Therefore, the chances of becoming addicted to alcohol or other substances at this age are even higher.
Addiction is a serious mental health condition that can seriously impact the student-athlete experience. If you think you are at risk of this condition, make sure to get support early and learn more positive coping mechanisms that you can use in times of stress.
Final Words
As an athlete, you are likely to go through times of feeling anxious, depressed, stressed, and overwhelmed. However, it is important to distinguish between anxiety as a temporary emotion and anxiety as a mental health disorder. If you notice that a difficult emotion persists for longer than a few weeks, seek mental health support and help from mental health professionals and friends and family. Your mental health is essential to build a successful athletic career, so make sure you prioritize it at all times!