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Professional Athletes That Nix the Notion That Mental Illness Makes You Weak

By Lindsay Holmes, Huffington Post, 02/20/19, 12:00PM PST

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“We need to accept that mental illness is a disease — and like any other disease, it needs stronger research, early screening and treatment, especially for young people.”

Sports are regarded as tough in our culture, and mental health complications are often seen as a contradiction to that narrative. But the fact is that one in five American adults experience a mental health issue in a given year. Mental illness doesn’t choose who is affected based on a person’s circumstances. That means athletes are just as susceptible as anyone else. Increasing numbers of sports stars are breaking barriers by talking about what’s going on with them internally. Experts say these types of public testimonies can encourage others to reach out for help if they’re experiencing the same issues.

Here are just a few athletes who have publicly discussed and stood up for mental health:

1. “Everyone is going through something that we can’t see ... Mental health is an invisible thing, but it touches all of us at some point or another.” -Kevin Love