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Simone Biles is looking to build on her accomplishments as the 2024 Olympics begin. As a four-time Olympic gold medalist, she is arguably the greatest American gymnast of all time. But what Biles did outside the gym during the 2020 Olympics may be the most impactful of her journey. When she withdrew for mental health reasons, she sent a powerful message: It’s okay to not be okay.
For Olympians, the burden of expectations can be debilitating. They not only carry the weight of their personal ambitions, but also the hopes and dreams of their country. Olympians aren’t born great; they become great through a relentless pursuit of excellence. But that intensity can also lead to struggles, including post-Olympic depression, aka the “crash.” Athletes can feel low self-worth, empty, confused and lacking purpose.
I know all too well the mental health challenges athletes face from my own experience. In 1984, I won three gold medals in swimming at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics. I was 16 years old. In 1988, I didn’t make the Olympic team. Nothing prepared me for the transition from the peak of my career in 1984 to rock bottom four years later. Mental health support was unavailable and it wasn’t even talked about at the time. For decades afterward, my mental health struggles also included unhealthy coping mechanisms that led to substance use disorder.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should be commended for addressing mental health through the creation of a comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan. Published last year, the plan targets five key areas: culture and leadership, measurement and research, reducing incidence and improving health, improving care, and improving access to sport.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has also done a good job of focusing on mental health. The USOPC now offers psychological services to its athletes, including a mental health registry, counseling through eHome counseling groups, and meditation and sleep exercises through the Headspace Plus app. At the recent Olympic Gymnastics Trials in Minneapolis, the team’s first therapy dog, Beacon, was on hand to help athletes suffering from a variety of mental health conditions.
Athletes at all levels and their families can learn from the steps taken by the IOC and USOPC. Athlete-related mental health issues are not unique to the Olympics. Youth and high school athletes often become so focused on their sport that they lose perspective. Athletes need to remember that participating in sport is something they do, not who they are.
Watching the Olympics will have you experiencing many of the same emotions you experienced in 1984 and 1988 — the good and the bad. At first, you didn’t have the support you needed to deal with your challenges. But eventually, with the help of clinicians, family, and friends, you were able to recover. Athletes of all types, whether they participate in individual or team sports, benefit from having a strong support system around them: teammates, friends, family, therapists, and other professionals.
We must reduce stigma, prioritize open discussions about mental health and substance use disorders, and ensure all athletes have the support they need to succeed. An Olympic medal represents a moment, but an athlete’s mental health support lasts a lifetime.
Carrie Bates is Hazelden Betty Ford Foundationthe nation’s largest nonprofit addiction treatment and mental health provider.