Mental Health Struggles Among Sportspersons Is A Reality, And They Are Beginning To Admit It

A few weeks ago, it was ace tennis player Naomi Osaka, and now it's top gymnast Simone Biles.

Two of the biggest names in sports have revealed that they are struggling with their mental health, paving way for wider discussion on the subject.

The superstar American gymnast Biles stunned the Tokyo Olympics when she pulled out of the women's team final, saying: "I have to do what's right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardise my health and my wellbeing."

Biles also pulled out of the all-around final, and her participation in the rest of the Olympics is uncertain.

The 24-year-old had already hinted that she was feeling the immense pressure in the Japanese capital, writing on Instagram: "I truly do feel like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders at times."

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The internet applauded Biles' decision to withdraw, and appreciated bringing the subject of mental health among sportspersons.

When Osaka quit French Open

Osaka stunned the sports world in June when she withdrew from the French Open after skipping required press events to prioritise her mental health.

One day before her withdrawal, Osaka, whom the Women¡¯s Tennis Association (WTA) ranks the second top female tennis player in the world, had been issued a warning and a fine for skipping the post-match appearances, according to a statement that organisers released on May 30.

¡°I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players, and my well-being is that I withdraw,¡± Osaka said in a statement she posted on Instagram. ¡°I have suffered long bouts of depression since the U.S. Open in 2018, and I have had a really hard time coping with that. ¡­ Here in Paris I was already feeling vulnerable and anxious, so I thought it was better to exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.¡±

Osaka also withdrew from a WTA tournament in Berlin the same month.

The 23-year-old set off a debate with her decision to quit, and in her essay titled It¡¯s O.K. Not to Be O.K where she explained the reasoning behind her actions, which she admitted confused some, and the lessons she has learned.

¡°Lesson one: you can never please everyone. The world is as divided now as I can remember in my short 23 years. Issues that are so obvious to me at face value, like wearing a mask in a pandemic or kneeling to show support for anti-racism, are ferociously contested. I mean, wow. So, when I said I needed to miss French Open press conferences to take care of myself mentally, I should have been prepared for what unfolded,¡± she wrote.

Talking about the insurmountable stress of press interactions, Osaka clarified that her decision was about the press, but rather the traditional format of the press conference. She urged media to show more empathy.

¡°I felt under a great amount of pressure to disclose my symptoms¡ªfrankly because the press and the tournament did not believe me. I do not wish that on anyone and hope that we can enact measures to protect athletes, especially the fragile ones. I also do not want to have to engage in a scrutiny of my personal medical history ever again. So I ask the press for some level of privacy and empathy next time we meet,¡± she added.

"You do contemplate suicide"

Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, shared the story of his personal encounter with depression.

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"You do contemplate suicide," the winner of 28 Olympic medals told the audience at a conference in 2018.

Phelps revealed in 2018 that he struggled with depression and contemplated suicide after the 2012 Olympics.

Cricketers battling depression

English cricketer Marcus Trescothick is one of the cricketers who spoke about his mental health problems.

The cricketer suffered from mental health issues when he was at the peak of his career. In between the tour of India in 2006, he decided to go back home and later revealed that he was dealing with depression.

English batsman Jonathan Trott was hit by mental health issues when he was at the peak of his career.

Despite being a part of the Ashes 2013 squad, he decided to end his career abruptly and stated ¡®long-standing stress-related condition¡¯ as the reason. He played county cricket after his retirement but quit that as well due to an anxiety disorder.

Australia¡¯s Glenn Maxwell also suffered from mental health issues and took a small break from cricket in 2019.

He was praised by Australia¡¯s head coach Justin Langer for his courage in admitting that he was dealing with mental health issues.

Normalising discussion around mental health issues

Mental health has long been swept under the carpet as a reason of underperformance in high-pressure sporting events.

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However, athletes are now talking about their pressures and struggles openly.

How many times do you have to face an appraisal at your office every year?¡± asks Abhinav Bindra, India¡¯s only individual Olympic gold medallist, a member of the IOC Athletes Commission, and part of a team that developed the IOC Mental Health In Elite Athletes Toolkit 2021. ¡°Not more than once, right? For athletes, multiply that by the number of tournaments they play in a year. Our abilities are being judged as frequently as every week.¡±

That's the intense public scrutiny sportspersons have to live with through their careers.

Many more athletes suffer in silence, and mental health challenges may be more common than people realise.

In the wake of athletes coming forward with mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, this is an opportunity to develop compassion for those who suffer.