Change.org Petition: The NCAA Must Expand Mental Health Services For Athletes & Education Programs For Coaches

College athletes are struggling. More than 20% of college athletes report symptoms of depression and anxiety. But, there is a stigma around talking about mental health in sports. Lindsey started her petition because she knows this mindset must change. Last month, four college athletes committed suicide. A student-athlete herself, Lindsey knows how hard the struggle is around mental health in sports. For Mental Health Month, she wants to spotlight what colleges and the NCAA can do to eliminate the stigma. She’s calling for increased access to mental health resources for coaches and athletes. The NCAA Must Expand Mental Health Services For Athletes & Education Programs For Coaches 6,979 have signed Lindsey Kilpatrick’s petition. Let’s get to 7,500!

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A letter to the NCAA: How many lives does it take? How many of your student-athletes have to take their own life before you make a difference in the culture surrounding mental health in collegiate athletics? This month alone we have lost four collegiate athletes from suicide. As NCAA student-athletes, we have been doing our part to combat the stigma surrounding mental health in athletics through organizations like Morgan’s Message, the Hidden Opponent, and various other mental health initiatives at our respective institutions. However, we can see that despite our work across the country, mental illness remains a pressing issue in collegiate athletics. Doctors have found that student-athletes are more susceptible to depression due to the stressors of overtraining, injury, pressure to perform, lack of free time and/or stress from schoolwork Approximately 30% of female collegiate athletes and 25% of male collegiate athletes report having anxiety 24% of Division 1 student-athletes reported a “clinically relevant” level of depressive symptoms, with 6% experiencing “moderate to severe” levels Collegiate athletes are twice as likely as retired collegiate athletes to struggle with depression Only 10% of collegiate athletes with known mental health conditions seek help 35% of elite/professional athletes report suffering from anxiety, depression, burnout, and/or disordered eating Over 10% of 18 to 25-year-olds have reported they have had suicidal thoughts Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death overall in the US, but 2nd leading cause among Americans 18 to 25 years old It is time for intervention and time for change in the culture of collegiate athletics. As a four-year, NCAA Division 1 student-athlete, I can speak firsthand on the lack of support and the suffocating stigma that exists in the athletic community surrounding mental health. From my freshman year on, I developed severe depression and anxiety, and struggled in silence until my junior year; only feeling able to seek help because I was off campus and out of season due to the pandemic. However, just because we, the student-athletes who seek help, have made a remarkable step, does not necessarily mean life gets any easier. Returning to campus, all of that work you have done to better yourself like starting therapy or medication is not to be discussed. Personally, I was terrified to tell my teammates and my coaching staff, thinking that I would be viewed as weak, and not the same leader and teammate they had relied on before. I did eventually tell my team and staff about what I was experiencing. However, this was because I was also telling them that I had to take a leave of absence from the team and school due to the severity of my depression and anxiety, after I had a panic attack in front of all of them while warming up before a game. It shouldn’t have to come to that. The culture of collegiate athletics promotes student-athletes to suffer in silence. The NCAA fosters an environment that prioritizes athletic and academic achievement above all else, and many times that is at this expense of our physical and mental health. The following are three necessary adjustments to your position on mental health to make a difference in collegiate athletics: Mandate a Mental Health Practitioner at Every University: In your study from 2016, you recommended that a mental health practitioner should be, “easily accessible to student-athletes, which includes being accessible through establishment of a self-referral process.” A recommendation unfortunately will not do much. Many athletic programs outside of the Power Five have limited funding. Priority is not given to mental health, unless their students are crying out for one; and from first-hand experience, simply that does not guarantee a hire...let alone a timely hire. Many athletes cannot seek the mental health services necessary due to social stigma as well as the time constraints of playing a sport in college. Having an on-site resource is vital in easing what can be a daunting step to most athletes seeking help. We would never be without athletic trainers, so how are universities still without a mental health practitioner? Subsidize Mental Health Practitioner Salaries at Eligible Institutions: A majority of Division 1 universities rely on subsidies for their athletic budget. As stated previously, hiring a resident mental health practitioner tends to fall lower on the priority list for administrators. As revenue returns to normal and student-athlete suicides prevail, the NCAA should not only mandate every university to hire a mental health practitioner that has not already but support the salaries for those institutions that are struggling financially. Increased Education Programs for Staff and Coaches: We as mental health advocates are grateful for the recent research on mental health published by the NCAA and the Innovations in Research and Practice Grant Program. However, at minimum, we need annual mandatory training sessions on mental health for college-athletic staff and coaches. Coaches are spending at least 20 hours a week with their student-athletes during debatably the most crucial time in their human development. It is critical that these individuals are educated properly on the signs and symptoms of mental illness, the damaging effects, and how to properly discuss mental health with their athletes. Student-athletes are begging for your help, and investment in our well-being, as we dedicate ourselves to our university and our sport every single day. We cannot lose another life.

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