Sports play a large role in the lives of many people. Whether someone is a professional athlete or someone who is part of a local or school team, there will always be a lot of pressure. Coaches will keep pressing their athletes to go that extra mile, or to perform better than they did before. There is also the pressure of performance that many athletes place on their own shoulders, which often becomes an additional burden to bear. Most athletes are capable of bearing those burdens and handling those pressures, but others are not so lucky. Every so often, an athlete will lapse into depression, which they are susceptible to because of all the pressure and expectations they are expected to fulfill. However, it is notable that depression can often go unreported among athletes, and many would prefer not to take medication such as Prozac.
Athletes are supposed to be tougher and stronger than the average person, so depression might be interpreted as a weakness that they should not have. The expectation that athletes can and should perform better than others is a prevalent one, and likely one that most athletes place upon themselves at one point or another. That is usually a minor concern, but it can escalate if something happens that keeps them from performing as they should. Injuries, missed shots, and mistakes can all come together to make an athlete feel like he isn’t doing his best, or that he is not good enough. While these cases are not as severe as possible and can usually be alleviated with a prescription of Prozac, most athletes would rather not report this “weakness.”
What most athletes don’t realize is that allowing their depression to linger can become a worse hindrance than admitting they have a problem. Depression can cause them to lose sleep or have lower levels of energy than normal, worsening their performance. Sensibly speaking, an athlete would be better off admitting he needs doses of Prozac than he would be attempting to hide his problem.
By Mark Christian Walters
Athletes are supposed to be tougher and stronger than the average person, so depression might be interpreted as a weakness that they should not have. The expectation that athletes can and should perform better than others is a prevalent one, and likely one that most athletes place upon themselves at one point or another. That is usually a minor concern, but it can escalate if something happens that keeps them from performing as they should. Injuries, missed shots, and mistakes can all come together to make an athlete feel like he isn’t doing his best, or that he is not good enough. While these cases are not as severe as possible and can usually be alleviated with a prescription of Prozac, most athletes would rather not report this “weakness.”
What most athletes don’t realize is that allowing their depression to linger can become a worse hindrance than admitting they have a problem. Depression can cause them to lose sleep or have lower levels of energy than normal, worsening their performance. Sensibly speaking, an athlete would be better off admitting he needs doses of Prozac than he would be attempting to hide his problem.
By Mark Christian Walters