The lives of people with mental health conditions are often hidden away, as if it were a secret everyone knew about but are not allowed to speak about. This stigma is a negative stereotype that sadly affects the day to day lives of real people everywhere, including athletes. This is not just an academic conversation but one that is the reality that affects people with mental health illness.

When we think of athletes, we think of powerful and healthy people. We tend to associate athletes with this notion that they are not people but heroes that inspire us to go further and do better. While that is true to an extent, we consequently turn a blind eye to their mental health conditions. The problem is that we do not accept psychological and physical injuries to be of the same level. We focus on the physical injuries of athletes’, we understand and are aware of the consequences of such conditions to the body… but what about mentally?

Both women and men athletes are continually living as if they are ok. Women have the pressure of attaining a certain body image while men are not perceived masculine because mental health is not perceived as such, as if they are trained to not show weakness or emotion. This is only a portion to the problems athletes suffer from.

This stigma we have adopted to ignore mental health of athletes allows their stories to be silenced, the resources for help to be scarce and for their self worth to decline. This ignorance may lead to athletes acting out, self harming or committing suicide. We must adopt a different mentality, allowing ourselves to open our eyes and our minds to the truth. To help those in need of help.

The athletes not only have the pressure of performing in their area of sport but we cannot burden them with the ignorance of avoiding the truth. The truth that their mental health is not a weakness, that it matters and that they matter.

We have to address the problem head on, we must talk about mental health issues among athletes. The beginning of a conversation is a start. Let’s not end it here. Let’s work together to provide a better environment, resources and community for athletes with mental health illness.