Team USA athletes are provided the resources to ensure they’re in excellent shape at the Olympic games. It extends beyond the physical realm as Team USA has placed emphasis on their athletes mental health and making sure they have the resources they need.
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With the Winter Olympics in Beijing underway, Team USA has made it a priority to address and support the mental health of its athletes. Dr. Joshua Norman, a sports psychiatrist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, spoke with ABC News about the unique challenges that Olympic athletes face.
"Many of them train their entire life for this one moment and a lot of them are removed from their support systems,” Norman said.
"With the isolated experience of being at Olympic Village, with having such intense focus on competition … and particularly in today's climate with COVID-19 with the athletes being tested multiple times a day and then they're further isolated out of fear of getting COVID-19, it's a very unique experience that can place significant physical and mental strain on the elite athletes."
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Team USA has provided athletes an outlet for their mental health care. Whether they’re in the Olympic Village or at their competition’s venue, athletes will have access to therapists and psychiatrists as well as the ability to attend individual or group therapy sessions and have a crisis hotline they can call.
Olympic athletes also carry a unique public platform that makes their openness about mental health care a positive. For one, it helps to remove the stigma of talking about mental health.
"You're not alone. Folks who are extremely high-achieving like Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, a lot of elite athletes, also struggle with mental health conditions," Dr. Norman told ABC News. "I think having folks like that with those types of platforms speaking out, it really helps not only other athletes but folks within the general population that may look up to these athletes. It may help them seek treatment."
Audacy's I’m Listening initiative aims to encourage those who are dealing with mental health issues to understand they are not alone. If you or anyone you know is struggling with depression or anxiety, know that someone is always there. Additionally, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-273-8255.