Alex McLaughlin, a basketball player for Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., took his own life just before his graduation in 2014. His brother, Mark McLaughlin, spoke to CBC and suggested it was the pressure of the sport that took a toll on him.
As mental health becomes a matter of public interest and a topic of discussion it still rarely encompasses sports and student athletes. It’s often student athletes’ records, awards, and physical injuries that are closely watched—not their invisible ones. The invisibility of mental illness poses challenges for prognosis, treatment, and simply for others to recognize its seriousness.
Greg Owens, president of the Student Alliance for Mental Health at Carleton, played competitive basketball for nine years.
He said students spend at least a third of their day practicing and training, and that travel for games can also force the student to move tests and exams around, which contributes to their stress.
Owens also worked as a team manager and assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at the University of Toronto, and said the pressure of performance can have negative consequences on student athletes’ mental health.
Megan Evans, a Nordic skiier at Carleton, said time management is very important to her and often uses a planner to keep herself organized to minimize stress.
She said her busy schedule can sometimes affect her social life, so she makes a point to schedule an hour or two of her week to do something fun.
Kaza Kajami-Keane, a guard for the Carleton Ravens men’s basketball team, said he manages his time by spending it mostly on playing basketball and his education— two things which he values.
“These are the things that I feel should grasp all my time and attention,” he said.
Student athletes not only deal with the time demand of being a student athlete, but also physical injuries that can have psychological repercussions.
Evans said she herniated two discs in her back at the age of 16, which threw her off her track for one year, and spent two full years recovering. She said she found the change of lifestyle between the one she had and the one she maintains now a difficult transition to make. She added she loves to exercise, but the pain sometimes puts her out of the gym.
“It’s more stressful than anything,” Evans said.
She said her injury also stops her from doing the exercises the Nordic skiing team does during training, which leaves her feeling as though she’s letting down her team.
Kajami-Keane said although injuries are terrible, he sees both the good and the bad in them. He said he views them as an opportunity to improve himself—whether it may be watching videos of games, helping his teammates with their weaknesses, or simply getting a mental break.
“Yes, you aren’t allowed to be out there with your guys or playing the sport you love—but this then gives you time to prepare your mental side of the game,” he said.
The pressure from the large audience at games, the cheering and the desire to win and improve is part of what being a student athlete is. Sometimes even awards or recognitions can leave student-athletes feeling pressured to surpass their current performance, according to Evans and Kajami-Keane.
Evans, who was recently named Female Athlete of the Year at Carleton, said although the award was an exciting moment, it made her feel pressured to maintain that quota and also exceed it.
But as a third-year student in the neuroscience and mental health program, Evans said learning about mental health helps her understand herself and her emotions better.
“I am taking a stress and mental health course right now and yeah, it’s super applicable,” she said. “I think every class we’re learning so many things, that I am like, ‘Oh that’s good to know, that will help in the future.”
