By Braxton Hemmeian, Myles Mims, Kenny Quinn, and Waindim Tufoin
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
As the academic school year progresses, prioritizing mental health has become more critical than ever. This is evident for high school students since their young minds are still developing and learning about the resources around them. However, this issue becomes more apparent when it comes to student-athletes since they often find themselves having to juggle both the sport and their mental health, which can result in them disregarding their mental state over other obligations. The need for change is abundantly clear, as many high school students share their experiences of their mental health being neglected and not focused on nearly enough.
According to a study done by the National Library of Medicine, about 91% out of 200 high school athletes were seen to exhibit signs of stress, which can be linked to poor mental health. This showcases how high school athletes are more prone to suffer from mental health-related issues because of the high-stress environment they’re surrounded by. This also translates into students translating their performance to their self-worth, as John Hopkins Medicine claims that sports can condition athletes into being perfectionists and evaluating every little thing they do. This results in an unhealthy mentality that many athletes share, which causes them to lack confidence in themselves if they make a mistake while playing. As such, they also begin to devote all their time to their sport instead of taking the time to worry about their mental health. Another underlying issue is students using their athletic activities as an outlet for their mental health struggles rather than receiving professional help. As the National Federation of State High School Association says, “Athletics may also represent an avenue of “escape” for students. However, if they never learn how to cope with stress on or off the playing field, they are at risk for a mental-health crisis.” This concludes that many students feel the need to mask their problems and redirect them elsewhere rather than seek out the appropriate resources. Finally, there’s the issue of students perceiving mental health as a weakness, as the NLM states, “Youth elite athletes exhibit significant stigma to mental health and negative attitudes towards help-seeking, including fear of the consequences of seeking help in an elite sporting context.” This is a sentiment expressed by many student-athletes that result in them continuing to mask any problems they have, which is a sentiment that needs to change.
Licensed physical therapist and mother of a student-athlete, Hetal Shah, comments on the strain student-athletes face as she remarks “Addressing the mental health of high school students is extremely important, particularly among athletes, because of several factors. High school is a huge transition for these kids. Burnout is real with increased academic work, peer pressure, lack of sleep, and the rigor required for sports.”
We took it upon ourselves and created a survey asking current and former high school student-athletes about their mental health. We had 66% of them say that they don’t feel that student-athletes get enough mental support. With all that is going on in the life of a student-athlete, they need mental support even if they feel mental. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health concerns among student-athletes have gone up by 1.5–2 times more than before the pandemic. Student-athletes go through daily grueling routines of waking up early, going to sleep late, making sure they are eating enough food for energy for the day, having hours of practice every day, studying plays after practice, then studying how they can perfect their game, handling being yelled at by egotistical coaches that believe they are always right, and keeping their grades up high enough to remain eligible to play because if it’s too low, then all of their work would be for nothing. Then, to top it off, all of this can start happening in their lives at the age of 13 or 14. At that age, students are still maturing and developing, and they are often manipulated into thinking that they naturally have a strong mental health is good when often it isn’t. So, while many athletes believe that they are good mentally, it is still good to spread awareness on the matter because, while it may look like someone is okay, on the inside, they could be struggling.
Sports can have a hard effect on anyone, especially players. The expectation of playing well and winning is tough on enough people alone, but sometimes, what people forget is that athletes are humans, too. High school athletes are affected by this heavily because they have to grow up with their peers in today’s era where social media is where everyone can see everything. People can see you highest and lowest. Being an athlete makes it hard on you as a young person when you can be criticized by someone you don’t know. Brendan Brown is a senior football player at Perry Hall High School. He spoke on mental health as an athlete and being able to balance being a student and having a social life. He said, “Personally, I’m an introvert. I prefer to stay inside and chill, but when I do decide to go out, I’ll do it on a weekend after the film study of the previous game, so that’s an easy way to balance it. On the flip side, during the summer when we have camp, it’s harder because that’s usually the time everyone wants to hang out, but football keeps your summer busy.”
Another example comes from former high school and current lacrosse athlete Kanell Ward. He finds that sometimes he does struggle with his mental health, but being able to keep it off his mind has always been something he has done.
“Yes, sometimes, but if I were playing, that always helped. It takes your mind off everything outside of it, plus after that workout, I always feel better,” Ward said.
He also believes that being able to talk to someone is the most important thing that mentally struggling athletes should take advantage of. He said, “Some advice I would give is to talk to somebody. Talking to someone is better than facing it by yourself. There is no shame in talking to someone close about what you’re going through.”
Licensed physical therapist and mother of a student athlete, Hetal Shah additionally comments on the strain student athletes face as she remarks, “Addressing the mental health of high school students is extremely important, particularly among athletes, because of several factors. High school is a huge transition for these kids. Burnout is real with increased academic work, peer pressure, lack of sleep, and the rigor required for sports.”
These experiences highlight how important speaking out and gaining proper resources is. As Shah states, “Mental health continues to be one of the most undiagnosed and untreated issues. Reducing stigma by promoting mental health awareness and encouraging athletes to seek help is crucial.”
While students and parents are starting to notice the need for mental health awareness, there’s still much to be done to solve this issue. When reaching out, it’s important to cover all sides of the topic, and having other experts, such as student counselors and people who work within the school, would help shed more insight into how the school systems themselves are flawed and in need of change. Another limitation is the lack of willingness to share these stories among high school-aged students, as the stigma surrounding mental health is still prevalent enough to cause embarrassment in speaking out. While these limitations exist, it’s important to understand that as society progresses, so will the conversation about mental health for high school athletes.
*Headline created by Copilot