Mar 3, 2025Athletes offer platform to help with mental health struggles
A study on athlete mental health published in 2024 found that suicide is the second most common cause of death among NCAA athletes, with incidence increasing during a 20-year analysis from 2002 to 2022.
Today’s athletes aren’t taking this information lightly. They are open to sharing their experiences publically in hopes of helping other athletes work through any potential mental health struggles — and sharing that they aren’t alone in the fight.
A recent article from 12News.com detailed how there are multiple platforms to help athletes struggling with mental health. Below is an excerpt from the 12News.com article.
The Courage First Athlete Helpline is a no-cost national helpline available to athletes, coaches, parents, and anyone affected by abuse or mental health struggles in sports.
The Courage First Athlete Helpline launched in 2022 in partnership with The Foundation for Global Sports Development and ChildHelp to provide crisis services and resources to those in need within sports communities.
Cathy Beach, national program director for The Courage First Athlete Helpline, says athletes’ needs run the gamut, but this has been a tool to help individuals navigate their unique challenges.
“A lot of the contacts that we get are related to emotional abuse or emotional maltreatment. That line between strict coaching and what might be detrimental to mental health later on can be really fuzzy,” Beach said. “A lot of us who are athletes ourselves sometimes look back on how we might have been treated by a coach or treated by even parents with that pressure being put on by them and how that affected our mental health later on. I would say the main issue that we get reached out to is about kind of that treatment as an athlete and maybe how that affected them later in life.”
By challenging the stigma, global sports stars are inspiring others who might feel unseen. Former Arizona State and NFL offensive lineman Jamil Douglas was candid about seeking help once he recognized something within him needed to change and now he’s embracing being an advocate for mental well-being among elite athletes.
“For me, it was something that just kind of happened over time. You start to realize that you don’t feel the same or you’re not the same outside of your sport and that was alarming to me,” Douglas said. “I wanted to be the same guy that I’ve always been. When I did decide to address it, my first thought was just find a therapist. Find someone that I could speak to and that I could trust. That was really the start of it. With so many people coming out and speaking about it, that kind of normalized it to me and gave me that courage to speak up about what I was feeling.”
Douglas noted that support and confidence from his family, friends and peers kept him encouraged as he sought therapy. The 33-year-old husband and father now uses his experiences and platform to encourage others with his For the Underdogs Podcast, where he has guides listeners through conversations with entrepreneurs, athletes and individuals from diverse backgrounds who have overcome adversity.
The podcast launched in March 2024 and with 24 episodes published to date across multiple media platforms. Douglas has found a way to harness his passion and vulnerability in a creative way.
To read the full story from 12News.com, click here.
