Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer, The University of Kansas Health System
- Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition during the last Olympics due to a mental block referred to as “the twisties.”
- Her body was performing, but her mind wasn't keeping up. She later said she was fighting with her own head and that she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders.
- That headline grabbing moment proved that athletes cannot ignore the mental side of their game and, thankfully, mental health support and treatment are more accepted than ever.
- Student athletes can take sports so seriously, but if we don’t have mental health, we can’t be physically healthy.
Dr. Tori Marshall, former sprinter, MidAmerica Nazarene University; psychiatry resident, The University of Kansas Health System
- Torn labrums in the hips led to three hip surgeries for Dr. Marshall. Ending a career as a competitive athlete was hard to handle because it was part of an identity.
- There's a transition from being an athlete to leaving the sport because your sports identity becomes so ingrained in who you are as a person.
- As a student athlete, mental preparation for each race was essential and routines did help.
- Music can help athletes get pumped for the moment and help with focus.
- Athletics is about training the mind as well as the body.
- Parental support was key – the questions were typically centered on “how did you think you did?” and “did you have fun?” and it helped alleviate any parental pressures.
Dr. Amanda Klass, sports psychiatrist, The University of Kansas Health System
- Dr. Klass became the first sports psychiatrist in the Health System in 2016.
- Sports psychiatrists understand the culture of sports, and that separates them from other psychiatrists.
- Other high-profile athletes who have spoken out about mental health are helping to normalize that mental health is important and it is OK to get help.
- Sports psychiatrists can help athletes overcome performance anxiety by helping them be more conscious of mental preparation, including breathing techniques.
- “Not Good Enough” is a documentary from the Kansas City Royals about how parents can affect impact student athlete confidence and mental health.
- Sports psychology helps with the balance of making sure that you're progressing in a way that is healthy and getting you to where you envision yourself being.
