Student athletes, the unique mental health struggles they face

Since March, three high-profile collegiate athletes have died by suicide.

This has led to more conversation about the mental health of athletes.

According to Athletes for Hope, 33 percent of all college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions.

No one knows what collegiate athletes go through more than Emily Sreenan, a senior on the UD Track and Field team.

“It’s not just playing our sport, you have to manage our time very wisely and it can get very overwhelming at times,” she said.

Sreenan said athletes put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform.

“We’re trying to do our best but a lot of times that gets confused with ‘I have to be the best all the time’,” Sreenan said.

She has been an athlete since the sixth grade and said it’s been a long learning experience of finding out who she is outside of her sport.

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University of Dayton Psychologist Dr. Becky Cook said there are things that student-athletes have to deal with that other students do not.

Cook said many athletes come from being the best players in their hometown to now struggling for playing time.

An injury can be the end of a career, and be a hard hit for athletes.

Many struggle with finding their identities in college, and student-athletes are no exception.

All of which can impact their mental health and are discussions Cook has had with athletes on campus.

She said there are sometimes signs that are noticeable on the field that teammates and coaches can pick up on.

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Signs like starting to isolate or push away, or major changes in their mood.

“Those are just some signs just to inquire and ask ‘how are you’,” Cook said.

Sreenan said her teammates are rather open about their mental health.

“In my personal experience, I think everyone on my team knows that there’s someone there they can talk to, our coach actively talks about it and says ‘you can talk to me or I can get you to those resources,’” Sreenan said.

If you or someone you know is struggling you can contact The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org

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