This article discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide,
please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

In the UK, contact Samaritans samaritanshope.org or call 116 123.

Suicide is a sensitive subject and a topic that most people would rather avoid. However, we need to have those hard discussions to garner awareness and prevention. Many people think talking about suicide puts thoughts into the heads of struggling athletes. Quite the opposite is true. Conversations about suicide help athletes know they are not alone, understand that people care, and help them identify available resources to help them through dark times. This subject of suicide is too dire to be brushed under the rug. Suicide is a worldwide epidemic that is growing in unprecedented numbers.

Take, for instance, Charles Johnson, a former first-round NFL draft pick. Johnson, a wide receiver, played in the NFL from 1994 to 2012 and won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots. Johnson died of an apparent suicide on July 17, 2022, after an apparent drug overdose, according to a report from the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office.

Swiss soccer Karim Gazzetta, a 27-year-old midfielder, died after jumping off the eighth floor of a building in Mostar, as per the Sarajevo Times.

NCAA and professional athletes from all sports have reported a dramatic increase in depression, suicide ideation, attempted suicide, and suicide itself.

Why? Why are athletes dying at an alarming rate?

The rate of depression and anxiety has doubled among college students over the past decade, according to a Healthy Minds Study conducted in part by Daniel Eisenberg, Professor of Health Policy and Management at UCLA.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention identified suicide as the second leading cause of death for college students.

In 2022, Stanford soccer star Katie Meyer, 22, died by suicide.

Meyer hid her mental health struggles like many athletes who struggle in silence. Although her parents said they saw “no red flags” before her death, Gina Meyer said their daughter faced a lot of stress and pressure.

“There’s so much pressure, I think, on athletes, especially at that high level balancing academics and a high competitive environment,” Meyer’s mother, Gina Meyer, said during an emotional interview on NBC’s “TODAY” show. “There is anxiety, and there is stress to be perfect, to be the best, to be number one.”

Causes of Suicide Ideation for Athletes
• Athletes are often treated like commodities rather than viewed as a person who happens to be an athlete. The pressure to perform is overwhelming. The more money pumped into sports teams, the greater the pressure to win.

o Chad Asplund, a sports medicine doctor and executive director of the U.S. Council for Athletes’ Health, weighed in on the overwhelming pressure facing today’s athletes.

o ASPLUND: “Many college athletes are viewed as wins and losses, not as people. They’re disposable commodities where coaches and universities chew them up and spit them out. There’s not a focus on the individual athlete; it’s all on the outcome.”

• Athletes are unfairly judged by wins and losses. Performance outcomes and championships tend to decide scholarships, starting roles, and playing time. In essence, athletes are not just fighting to win games and tournaments. They are also battling for money. Without funding, financial assistance, or a decent playing salary, careers and education are often cut short.

• The stigma around mental health is embedded within the world of sports. Athletes are groomed to be warriors and show no sign of weakness. For many athletes, asking for help or discussing their issues seems to oppose the ideals they learned as young athletes. Athletes learn from an early age to “tough it out,” so they believe asking for help is a negative statement about who they are. In addition, many athletes fear others finding out about their needs or mental health difficulties.

• Relentless hours of training, physical injury, limited social lives, educational studies, collegiate eligibility, intra-team relationships, personal obligations, and tight schedules affect mental well-being and athletic performance. Athletes are turned into mere machines with rare days off.

• The unhealthy culture of winning at all costs builds expectations to unreasonable levels. The added pressure causes athletes to fear letting others down or being viewed negatively by teammates, coaches, parents, and fans.

• The need to be “perfect often leaves athletes feeling they are not “good enough.” Perfectionism leads to self-doubts and extreme thoughts, “What if I don’t measure up? No one will like me.” High expectations, training demands, and intra-team pressure are a recipe for depression, self-isolation, and plummeting self-esteem.

• Athletes define themselves by their sport. With the hyper-competitiveness of modern times, many athletes start competing and specializing in one sport before age 7. Retirement and injury leave athletes torn from their identity and sense of self. Losing “who you are” can be devastating.

• Social media can be downright mean and judgmental. Athletes are bombarded with negative opinions, harsh and unfair judgments, and derogatory comments. Social media is a major cause of suicide ideation among school-aged people worldwide.

• Hidden abuses, ranging from verbal, sexual, mental, physical, and body shaming, push athletes to the edge. No one is built to handle these situations alone. With limited resources, difficulty accessing trusted professionals, and high costs for therapy, athletes feel trapped. Depression and despair result when athletes bury their feelings or do not have a healthy outlet to work through traumatic events.

• Most coaches are ill-equipped to recognize symptoms of mental distress, nor do they feel comfortable talking about mental health. Some coaches perceive their athlete’s cries for help as merely attention-seeking behavior and thus turn away from the most vulnerable athletes. Even the most empathetic coaches feel helpless when their athletes express their mental concerns.

• Some athletes don’t know where to go for help, leaving them feeling lost, helpless, and hopeless.

Mental health advocate and former Oregon State University track athlete Kate Intile commented about the growing fear surrounding the topic of suicide and athletes.

INTILE: “It’s a constant worry you have in your life, on top of everything else. This could happen to me; this could happen to my teammates. My parents are worrying about me. It’s this vicious, anxious spiral of ‘Where is everyone at?’ and ‘If someone’s not okay, what do I even do?'”

While an increasing focus on mental health in sports has led to greater awareness of the struggles of athletes, more needs to be done. No one has all the answers regarding athletes and suicide ideation, but we can start with the following:

• Listen more and judge less. Foster an environment where athletes don’t fear discussing their mental health concerns.

• Minimize the stigma of mental health. Let athletes understand their struggles are real and they are not alone.

• Make athletes aware of available resources on the first day of preseason. Give them phone numbers and access to counseling services. Let them know their conversations are strictly confidential.

• Invite mental health professionals to give presentations on mental health. Allow these providers to meet with athletes after practice and training sessions.

• Teach coaches warning signs of mental distress. Help coaches understand how extreme athletic pressure and stress affect the mental health of athletes.

• Teach staff members that athletes are more than just a number. Team members are people who happen to be athletes.

• Have discussions about suicide prevention and a plan in place when circumstances become dire.

Player Support Services recognizes that athletes are more than a number, more than wins/ losses, and more than just athletes. PSS and our colleagues routinely check in with our athletes, not just regarding performance but to see if their personal needs are being met. All of our interactions are completely confidential and geared toward each individual. We also recognize that teams and organizations need support and can help you develop programs to help your athletes through the darkest times.

If you are experiencing mental health concerns or know someone experiencing emotional distress or suicide ideation, there is help. The Centers for Disease Control offers free resources.