As a clinical sports psychologist in the Philadelphia area, Dr. Andrew Wolanin is a leading expert on the mental health of athletes, providing counseling services and interventions for athletes at all levels of competition. Based on his research and direct experiences with athletes, Wolanin understands, as well as anyone, the critical importance of mental health awareness.
“There are so many factors related to the mental health of athletes, ranging from performance anxiety to injuries, from specialization to burnout, and so many other issues in between,” Wolanin said.
As a member of the USA Lacrosse Sports Science & Safety Committee, Wolanin was all too happy to accept a role as the co-chair of the 2023 USA Lacrosse Sports Medicine Symposium, presented by MedStar Health. The entirety of the one-day event is committed to the discussion and understanding of athlete mental health.
“We’ve assembled some top-notch panels for the Symposium so that we can help the attendees to better understand what’s happening in this space right now,” Wolanin said.
Just one look at some recent statistics confirms the importance and timeliness of this topic.
A recent anonymous survey of college athletes across multiple sports and universities found that 24% of athletes had a clinical level of depression, and slightly more than 6% had moderate to severe levels of depression. The researchers added that these rates could be significantly higher when also including anxiety disorders.
Wolanin noted that a closer look at the survey results indicated that depression rates were higher among female athletes than male athletes, and higher among athletes in individual sports than team sports.
“There could be some protective factor associated with team sports, like lacrosse, and some increased risk by being isolated on an individualized sport that someone is participating in,” Wolanin said. “The supportive culture of a lacrosse team can be a strong positive factor for athletes.”
Another survey of nearly 3,000 elite level athletes, also across multiple sports, found that 34-percent were experiencing clinical levels of anxiety or depression.
“These studies tell us that there are some triggers that can occur while participating in athletics that could be a concern for mental health issues,” Wolanin said.
Wolanin says that injury is the most significant risk factor for depression among athletes, followed by performance-related failure. He cites consistent losing and not meeting individual goals as examples of performance-related risk factors.
“Hopelessness is really a key indicator of depression,” Wolanin said. “With injury, does the athlete believe that they will be able to get better? And similarly with performance, do they think they are ever going to get to the level they think they should be at, or does it seem hopeless to them?”
For an underperforming athlete, knowing that there's another player on the roster who could possibly take their spot can become a cause of anxiety.
“Roster depth is usually a great thing for coaches, but it can be a difficult thing for athletes to deal with regarding stress,” Wolanin said.
Wolanin has a number of suggestions that coaches and team support staff can use to help screen for potential mental health issues among their athletes. It starts, he says, with the foundation of building a good relationship.
“If you've built a good relationship, when there is an issue, they are more likely to be comfortable talking about it and less fearful about consequences that might occur,” Wolanin said.
Using open ended questions, as simple as “how are you feeling today?” can yield a much broader range of response that provides insight for coaches and staff into the athlete's thinking. Carefully observing changes in behavior or noticing outward symptoms that someone is expressing are clues that may require more attention.
If a mental health concern is identified, Wolanin advises that finding support for the athlete is critically important.
“Some colleges now have clinical sports psychologists on staff, which is very helpful because it allows for the development of a relationship with the athlete and coaches,” Wolanin said. “If not, another option is a third-party relationship, identifying local sports psychologists who are willing to take referrals from a team doctor, or athletics trainer, or coach.”
Wolanin is encouraged that the growing discussions about mental health, including the Sports Medicine Symposium on January 20, are bringing a sensitive topic into the mainstream.
“In the last few years, we've seen a reduction in some of the stigma associated with mental health in athletes, with more and more athletes talking about their concerns and about what's happening,” he said. “In turn, that helps all of us to better understand how and why issues occur, and to develop some tools to better assess and understand mental health.”
Register Today
Join us on January 20 for the USA Lacrosse Sports Medicine Symposium, presented by MedStar Health. Held in conjunction with the USA Lacrosse Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center, this year’s Symposium will focus entirely on athlete mental health and wellness, with nationally recognized experts and clinicians as presenters. The event is open to all attendees. Learn more and register here.
