Episode 83 | Athletes and Mental Health

In today's episode of Psych Talk I discuss athletes and mental health. Exercise (and movement) is known to have beneficial effects on mental health and is often recommended for individuals to increase their mood. However, there is also evidence to suggest that high performance athletes may experience negative mental health consequences due to the unique pressures faced by playing competitive sports. Although mental health is starting to be talked about in athletics, with athletes such as Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and Michael Phelps, athletes are less likely to seek mental health treatment than there no-athletic peers, citing stigma as the biggest barrier to seeking care. In this episode I discuss mental health at the high school, collegiate, and professional sports levels and discuss what steps can be taken moving forward to reduce the stigma of mental health seeking among athletes and better support athletes who are struggling. Mention in this episode: Getting Better: Chris Bosh on Anxiety & Becoming a Pro-Athlete Getting Better: Michelle Kwan on Mental Health, the AAPI Community, & Olympic Pressure Ways to Work With Me: Mind Over Matter LGBTQ+ Affirming Masterclass Be a guest on my podcast Resources: Anti-Racism Resources LGBTQ+ Affirming Resources The Helping Professional's Guide to Boundary Setting Connect with Me: Follow me on IG @jessicaleighphd Follow the podcast on IG @psych.talk.podcast Follow me on TikTok @jessicaleighphd Join my Facebook community: Grow Through What You Go Through Sponsors & Collaborations: BetterHelp Intro/Outro Music: Life of Riley by Kevin MacLeod Music License Awakening Together, Relaxing into Happiness with William Cooper, M.Th., LPC Experience Awakening....Relaxing into your Being and, therefore, Happiness. William has... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show