Mental Disorders Among College Student Athletes

2291 Words5 Pages

College students go through many new life changes in under a year. They experience multiple stressors, such as new academic courses, new ways of living, and intense financial commitments. In addition to the burdens that collegiate students face, collegiate student-athletes are given the same burdens that normal college students have, but they must also improve in their sporting field while balancing their schoolwork simultaneously. There has been a sharp increase in the number of mental health disorders amongst college students because of the rapid changes that they are experiencing. The student athlete population shares the same problem because of the added weight that is required of them to carry (Edwards, B., & Froehle, A., 2023). Student-athletes …show more content…

et al., 2020). Student athletes experience immense amounts of stress that can affect their physical health, which in turn affects their mental health. It is a continuous cycle. Coaches and trainers should be aware of their athletes’ mental health and aid them. Mental Disorders Among Collegiate Student-Athletes Since student athletes often struggle with their mental health, mental disorders are bound to follow. According to Sood, S., & Puri, D. (2023), the mental health of athletes is increasingly given importance, whereas student-athletes experience twice as many mental health problems as athletes. This evidence goes on to show that student-athletes experience colossal amounts of stress that can destroy their lives now and long term. The pressure that student athletes face can go far beyond just their mental health. A common mental disorder that athletes can experience is body dysmorphia and body-related image problems. There are many different instances for this case, such as a wrestling or football coach asking a player to gain weight, or a track coach asking a runner to lose weight in order to win an …show more content…

Mental health is a very important concept in any athlete's life, yet it is often overlooked. The stigma can be damaging to athletes who already struggle with mental health issues (BSN SPORTS, 2024). Many people overlook the fact that athletes struggle with their mental health because of stereotypes. Many athletes do not want to seek help for their mental health because of the fear of being judged or looked down upon, so they will choose to live with the mental struggles instead of facing them. Proposed Resolutions There are many different ways that a student athlete can better their mental health. An athlete can seek therapy or do many different exercises that do not require much of their time to do. Those exercises can include getting more sleep during the night, eating healthier, yoga, and getting a healthy amount of movement everyday. These simple tasks that can be easily implemented into a schedule can significantly benefit an athlete’s mental health (The Jed Foundation, 2024). Effective psychology practitioners should be used when helping a student-athlete with their mental health by using skills such as emphasizing motivation, feelings, attitudes, and leadership (Oramas, J.,

Open Document