Mental health is a very important topic in today’s world, as a society we’ve begun to openly speak about and accept mental illnesses as well as started to erase the stigma around them. Many probably know a friend, classmate, or family member with mental health issues, but what we fail to see is student athletes are hit just as hard when it comes to mental health. Unlike you and me student athletes don't receive the proper help they need which is why better resources should be available to student athletes for mental health.

Mental health has become a widely talked about topic from tv stars to our own classmates but athletes are just as affected by mental illnesses. According to a 2014 NCCA survey researching mental illnesses in players such as anxiety disorders, the researched concluded, that by age 6 one in three adolescents have a diagnosable anxiety disorder.

The study also found that 85% of college athletic trainers believe anxiety disorders are an issue with their athletes. Student Athletes are under the same stressors as regular students with tests, deadlines and papers due but they do it all with the added stress of practices, games, home and away, outside training, and possible injury. So, wouldn’t it be logical for them to have help and assistance with their mental health and sports? All these factors for stress can easily overwhelm anyone leading to mental illnesses such as anxiety. Without the proper help these feeling of stress can lead to major issues for anyone.

A sports psychologist helps athletes perform at peak level by helping and dealing with mental health. Unfortunately for players out of  the division 1 colleges in the united states less than 25 had a full time sports psychologist as of 2014.

Athletes choose colleges for the athletic program and coaching thinking it'll be the best for them, but how would it be the best for them if the college doesn't have good resources for them?

Many colleges in the nation have sports psychology as a major teaching the students the positive impact sports psychologists have on players but don’t have one available to their athletes. Even with counselors available for many athletes it is not enough.

Going to a professional and licensed therapist in a great and available option for many  but many therapists are not trained to work with athletes. Mike Sullivan, a athletic trainer that helped write the National Athletic Trainers Association consensus stated that colleges that only have therapists available are not intense nor equipped for athletes. One would think colleges would prioritize athletes and their mental health.

  Since mental health is important to the well being of every individual of our society shouldn't we be thinking of and putting the mental health of student athletes first to sports or education?