‘It can affect everyone’: Capitals therapist details mental health struggles athletes face
Regardless of their greatness on or off the ice, athletes are working on more than their physical well-being. They are also attempting to improve their mental health.
Dr. Kurt Ela, a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the outpatient programs at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, told WTOP that it is crucial to discuss mental health in all avenues, including sports, as the struggles remain and the consequences may be dire.
“I do think it’s a universal challenge,” Ela said. “Mental health can affect the young, it can affect the old, it can affect everyone.”
Ela, who also serves as the Washington Capitals’ therapist, will join a panel on athletes’ mental health following a special screening of “Shattered Ice” on Sunday, March 8, at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Northwest, D.C. The film centers on a teenage hockey player navigating life after his best friend and the team’s best player dies by suicide.
Films like “Shattered Ice” are important for spreading the message about mental health awareness, Ela said. However, its messaging can resonate better with younger audiences and connect on a personal level versus talking to a professional.
“There’s still a taboo around suicide and around mental illness,” he said. “A film like this really gets the word out that it’s not only OK to talk about mental health, but it’s crucial.”
‘They’re not alone’
Ela said the numbers show that the United States is dealing with “a mental health crisis.”
According to a 2023 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two in 10 high school students seriously contemplated suicide, while 40% had “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.”
“We’re talking big numbers,” Ela said. “Most of our youth are really struggling right now.”
Sports are slowly getting better at discussing mental health topics, Ela said. Multiple athletes, including basketball star Kyrie Irving, gymnast Simone Biles and figure skater Ilia Malinin, have spoken about their struggles in the spotlight of their respective fields.
Despite some advances, mental health struggles remain underreported overall, Ela said. One common thread among most people, including athletes, dealing with mental health problems is a reluctance to admit when they are struggling.
“They think that, ‘well, if I keep working hard, if I keep pushing through, if I keep winning or keep scoring goals,’ or whatever their sport is, that everything is going to be OK,” Ela said.
“They lose sight of the bigger picture that they’d actually play much better, they’d function much, much better if they were happier and really enjoying their sport and their lives.”
Other common signs some athletes display include being hard on themselves, withdrawing from teammates, being self-critical, not getting enough sleep and not eating enough.
“When that starts to happen, we start to worry that their mental health is really deteriorating, and they may not be doing very well from a wellness standpoint,” Ela said.
Practicing mindfulness strategies
Athletes with healthy mental states can recalibrate and focus on becoming the best athletes they can be, Ela said. That can be learned through mindfulness strategies that emphasize reflection and learning from each experience. That ability to reflect also allows them to focus on their sport and their relationships off the field.
“They do have emotions, of course, and they might be anxious before games, just like any of us, but they’re able to really put it in perspective,” Ela said. “They’re able to see the anxiety as probably excitement that they want to do well and that it’s motivating for them, as opposed to something that can hold them back.”
For adults dealing with young athletes, Ela recommended being patient and consistently asking how they are doing. Their demanding schedules, filled with practices and competitions, may not be as easy for them to handle. When someone is going through an injury, practicing mindfulness strategies and avoiding negative self-talk will keep the recovery process on track.
The key, Ela said, is to talk about it.
“I think a lot of people still feel that they want to white-knuckle through this, or that it’s going to get better magically on its own,” he said. “The truth of the matter is it can get better, and there is a lot of help available, but you have to work at it, and you have to find support when you need it, and that’s a good thing.”
The most important thing for anybody, not just athletes, to understand is that they are not alone when struggling with mental health. Ela said the hope is they have a trusted friend or someone they can depend on to talk to. If not, getting help from a professional or calling a crisis hotline are options if they don’t feel safe talking to anyone.
“Athletes struggle with mental health concerns. We all struggle with mental health concerns,” Ela said. “It’s important that people know that they’re not alone, and to know that there’s help available, that no one has to go through mental health challenges alone.”
If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.