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Athletes Need to Know It’s Okay to Ask for Help
Our strength and discipline doesn’t make us immune to depression
Olympic and Paralympic athletes are human. They’re not invincible people. They experience real depression and overwhelming challenges despite the successes you may see on TV. Behind the scenes, there’s often a lot going on.
I’ve written very openly about my personal experiences with suicide. I’ve had dark moments in my life when I wanted to end it. I wrote about these experiences in my book and I’m quite comfortable speaking openly about them on stage.
My openness about suicide means many people confide in me because they think “I get it.”
Recently, a fellow athlete told me about their suicidal thoughts and it reminded me of something important I want to share with you today: The “I got this” mentality common among athletes and competitors can get in the way of asking for help. And if you’re suicidal, the most important thing you can do is talk to someone right away. Realistically, if you’ve attempted suicide, you don’t “got this.”
About a year ago, I was at an event when another athlete came up to me and said, “Hey, Kev, can we talk?” I knew it was serious because this athlete has always shown so much strength in their sport. I looked up to them both on…
