Student-athletes experience a unique set of challenges that leave a significant impact on their mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated those challenges with online learning, isolation, and drastic changes to daily routines.
 
One in three young adults (aged 18-25) experienced mental illness in the United States, according to the National Association on Mental Illness. One in ten experienced serious mental illness while 3.8 million have had serious thoughts of suicide. The growing concern and loss of life have pushed schools and universities to start implementing strategies to support young adults.
 
According to the NCAA Student-Athlete Well-being study conducted in the fall of 2021, in a group of 9,808 total participants, student-athletes have reported elevated rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression since 2020. Respondents also noted academic worries, planning for the future and financial burdens as the top factors negatively impacting their mental health.
 
Additionally, the study states that 47% of student-athletes felt comfortable seeking out mental health support from a provider on campus, while half of the student-athletes surveyed believe that mental health is a priority to their athletic department.
 
At UMass Lowell, resources and services have been put in place to provide compassion and support for those who need it. In April, the University announced the addition of mental health counselor Noella Teylan-Cashman to the athletic department. Teylan-Cashman spent the previous year-and-a-half working as a member of the UMass Lowell Counseling Services office before joining the athletic department as the Assistant Director for Student-Athlete Counseling Services.
 
"There are so many supports for the student-athletes here at UMass Lowell. In this position, there is so much opportunity to create programming to provide support for the students," said Teylan-Cashman.
 
"We've created more opportunities for student-athletes to access resources and we also have access to the resources across the way on the university side of things, so there are plenty of ways for student-athletes to find support."
 
Between classes, practices, lifts and games, student-athletes have a packed schedule that requires flexibility in their access to resources. Teylan-Cashman detailed the various opportunities available for student-athletes at UMass Lowell, including ways to find off-campus support.
 
"We have individual sessions and group therapy available as well as case managers to help with the referral process if students are looking for off-campus support. We also have a contracted psychiatrist that offers telehealth appointments, which is very convenient for students if they're receiving medication from their primary care provider. Sometimes it can be hard to have regular check-ups with your PCP, so to have a resource of medication management that is very accessible has been great. The addition of my position as well, to have somebody in-house and accessible, who can collaborate with coaches and other staff members in athletics, has been huge."
 
The life of a student can be difficult to navigate, and this is only exacerbated by the added responsibilities of Division I athletes. Teylan-Cashman described the difficulties many student-athletes face juggling their identities as students, athletes, family members, friends, and employees, among many others.
 
"Every individual is different, but student-athletes have a lot of shared experiences that other students don't have to navigate. They wear a lot of hats, but the biggest tends to be that of a student-athlete. It's a lot to handle so we want to make sure they prioritize themselves and their mental health."
 
The NCAA wellness study showed that among male respondents, 76% felt mentally exhausted and 63% felt sad during the pandemic, an increase of five percentage points from the fall of 2020. For female respondents, 90% reported feeling mentally exhausted, also an increase of five percentage points from the previous year. Additionally, 94% of female respondents and 81% of male respondents said they felt overwhelmed by all they had to do.
 
"The team mentality is great, wanting to succeed and do well for your teammates and coaches and having other people depending on them, but it's important to know when to step back and take care of yourself," she added.
 
Many of the issues student-athletes are faced with were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, and while there have been great strides taken to combat the disease and society has since begun moving forward, quarantine and isolation have left a lasting impact on young adults across the country.
 
"The pandemic intensified underlying mental health problems for a lot of people, and we've seen an increase in depression and anxiety, and that trend was mirrored in our student-athletes. A lot of student-athletes missed out on experiences, academically and athletically, with the pandemic and I think we'll see the effects of that for years to come."
 
A support system is key to coping with any issue, regardless of who and where people are in life. At UMass Lowell, the athletics support staff is making strides to provide the necessary resources and cultivate a sense of community and understanding among all 14 programs at the university.
 
One example, like many universities across the country, hosting a Morgan's Message game every season for each team on campus. Morgan's Message is an organization created by the parents of Morgan Rodgers, who struggled with mental health and tragically took her own life in 2019. In four years, the campaign has grown exponentially and strives to support student-athlete mental health, embracing open communication and ensuring young adults have a support system in place to provide them with the help they need.
 
UMass Lowell has several Morgan's Message ambassadors, including sophomore men's lacrosse player, Andrew Marks, and senior field hockey player Aurise Tattrie. Both shared their personal experiences and challenges that they faced and described how the community at UMass Lowell and Morgan's Message have aided them.
 
"From my freshman year to now I've felt more comfortable sharing my story with others and helping people talk about their stories. Knowing that even just one person can be impacted and know that they are not alone has been very powerful for me," said Tattrie. "It's great that we have a mental health counselor in athletics. Noella [Teylan-Cashman] has plenty of great experience and coaches a dance team, so she fits into athletics well here."
 
As more students learn about the programs in place on campus and the spaces where they can openly share their experiences, the number of student-athletes building a larger support system continues to grow.
 
"My freshman year was when COVID hit, and I was living on my own with a few teammates. It was very isolated and during that time I tore my second ACL. It was difficult to not be able to talk or interact much with anyone," Tattrie explained.
 
She describes the challenging process of taking time away from the sport and team that she loved to take time for herself and work through her struggles.
 
"I decided to take time off and that was also very difficult to tell my coaches and teammates. But I am glad I did it and I have the support of my coaches and teammates and now, I'm glad I can be a person that my teammates can look to for support."
 
The pressures from parents and family members, coaches and teammates, and teachers and classmates add up for student-athletes, and the weight be overwhelming and difficult to carry.
 
"There is a lot of pressure to not only be physically tough, but mentally tough as well as a student-athlete and to focus more on playing the sport rather than your personal life," added Tattrie.
 
"We've been trying to grow our reach for Morgan's Message and get people involved and having these conversations. Having people from different teams has been great for student-athletes to talk to one another and share experiences outside of their usual groups. From my freshman year to now, it's become more prominent, and I've felt more comfortable sharing my story with others and hopefully helping people talk about their stories. Knowing that even just one person can be impacted and know that they are not alone has been very powerful for me."
 
Collegiate athletes from all sports have come together to create a community of understanding and compassion with the hopes of eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and empowering people to utilize resources and get help. The community has grown in recent years and has extended outside of college sports, now reaching students at the middle school and high school levels, as well the professional level.
 
"I've been an athlete my whole life and around high school mental health started to become more of a factor. You start to build relationships with coaches and teammates more at that level and now high school students are getting involved with Morgan's Message, which is fantastic," said Marks. "It stretches across all divisions in college as well and even at the club sports level so it's great to see it growing so much. Morgan's Message has a lot of programs that are affiliated with the movement and there are athletes across all sports that are becoming ambassadors."
 
Associate Athletic Trainer Casey Lane is entering her eighth year with UMass Lowell and serves as an athletic trainer for USA Lacrosse. She has worked with a variety of sports and has seen a noticeable change in the conversation around mental health at the collegiate and professional levels.
 
"With USA Lacrosse, we had a Morgan's Message game and to see the messaging not only reach professional athletes but getting younger kids involved has been very rewarding," she said. "When our student-athletes and younger kids can see that professional athletes are also going through the same things, it's a huge weight off their shoulders. Having professional athletes be so vocal and open about their struggles has given younger athletes something to look up to."
 
The importance of professional athletes addressing mental health cannot be underestimated, as they struggle with the same issues as younger athletes. Professionals such as Simone Biles, Kevin Love and Michael Phelps have shared their stories to encourage others to follow in their footsteps.
 
While mental health impacts people from all walks of life, young men are often taught from a young age to 'be a man'. The notion that men can't talk about their feelings has been prominent in sports, but in recent years, has shifted. With the help of Morgan's Message and public figures sharing their struggles, young men are becoming increasingly more willing to be vulnerable with their peers.
 
"Speaking from the male side, a lot of what we hear is 'be a man' and 'toughen up'. It is universal, but it's a very common thing in male sports," added Marks. "I grew up playing football, baseball and soccer and then moved to lacrosse. Since I started there was a lot of that 'be a man' talk and now it's become more understanding of mental health."
 
"Being a man is more than running blindly into physical contact. It means be mentally tough on and off the field as well," he explained. "UMass Lowell has taught me that being a man off the field is more important than being a man on the field. Being respectful and understanding of others and helping wherever there is an opportunity is more important."
 
Athletes like Marks and Tattrie have helped pave the way for the incoming classes of student-athletes to feel comfortable talking to someone when life gets difficult. As a mental health counselor, Teylan-Cashman says students using their own experiences in group settings is key to continuing the conversation.
 
"I think a holistic approach is huge, especially for student-athletes who have so much going on at any given time," added Teylan-Cashman. "It's helpful to have a lot of people in your corner and know that you are supported."
 
While the current list of resources has proved beneficial so far, Teylan-Cashman says there is always room to grow and improve, especially when it comes to the well-being of student-athletes.
 
"In the fall, we will be adding some group programming for student-athletes as an additional resource. I hope that in the future we can expand my department and bring in more people to provide that support for our student-athletes, to do more specialized or group programming."
 
"Something that I think would be great to include is an athletics diversity inclusion officer. The direct connection of the feeling of belonging and psychological safety goes hand-in-hand with mental health, so I think that would be a great initiative to introduce."
 
Teylan-Cashman described the Morgan's Message campaign as a great demonstration of solidarity and says it opens the door for younger student-athletes to start the conversation.
 
"You see younger student-athletes, like high schoolers and younger, looking up to collegiate athletes and see them talking about these things and setting it as a priority is huge. Even for students who may not be directly involved, just knowing that outlet exists is so important and could be lifesaving."
 
With resources and outlets available, along with the staggering numbers of student-athletes affected, the conversation surrounding mental health has shifted drastically in recent years. Across the board, athletes from all sports are opening themselves up to receive help and share their stories. At UMass Lowell, Marks says the conversation has been changed and mental health support has been trending upwards.
 
"It's important to let each other know it's okay to talk about things and not feel judged. It's okay to be emotional and vulnerable and that's what we are trying to do. I think the school has done a great job providing student-athletes with resources and so many people do utilize them," he shared.
 
"I have my share of stories and I want to be available for people to come talk to me if they need that support. I took a redshirt year my freshman year and that was difficult to get through, but the support from my coaches and teammates was incredible. Casey [Lane] is fantastic at her job, and I can't say enough good things about her and what she has done for me and so many other student-athletes." 
 
A former student-athlete, Lane has seen first-hand how the culture of mental health has changed and the positive trends that emerge as student-athletes shift their attention to their self-care.
 
"It's so normal and okay to talk about it now. I think about when I was a student-athlete 10 or so years ago, nobody talked about mental health. I had teammates that struggled with mental health and there wasn't really an avenue for them to get help and that wasn't even that long ago."
 
She adds that students today are more aware and vulnerable, and more okay with talking about mental health struggles. Lane credits the work the students have done on their own to, create an environment where peers feel comfortable sharing their stories and encouraging others to do the same.
 
"The volume of cases that we are seeing and the severity of those cases and it's very disheartening to listen to what our students are struggling with," she said. "You want to try to reach everyone and help everyone. Cases are going up and the variety of cases are going up as well, they aren't all anxiety and depression, there is a wide gamut of issues."
 
Lane added the growing mental health issue impacts more than just student-athletes, noting the struggles of students across campus as well. She serves as a member of the STARS committee, UMass Lowell's behavioral intervention team, providing support to students and staff on campus who may be struggling with mental health. Members consist of the faculty from athletics, residential services, UCrossing staff and health services staff who deal with housing loss and food insecurity. Lane says the wide range of support has allowed the group to network students to those resources and point them in a helpful direction.
 
While there have been plenty of new resources made available, there is still room to grow when it comes to mental health support. UMass Lowell has taken great strides in providing student-athletes with the necessary resources to find helpful solutions to their mental health struggles, but there is still work to be done.
 
Increased training for coaches, support staff and student-athletes is Teylan-Cashman and Lane's hope for the future development of the mental health support system. Although challenges may present themselves, training staff to facilitate difficult conversations is a major step in the right direction.
 
"It can be difficult to get everybody involved in the conversation, coaches and support staff included. As a coach, I know how much your response to something can impact student-athletes," concluded Teylan-Cashman. "I think that presents us with a training opportunity for coaches and everyone on staff on how to facilitate and navigate those conversations."
 
The America East Conference has contributed to the advancement of mental health support, sending representatives to each member school to provide training for staff and coaches on mental health emergencies, preparedness, and warning signs.
 
As a member of the athletic training staff, Lane takes part in the conference-wide meetings and events to share ideas with other universities to improve mental health support. The methods and means may vary across schools, but the goal is the same: make student-athletes feel safe to utilize the resources available and find help.
 
"Every May, the America East Conference hosts a Health and Safety Summit. Athletic trainers, sports performance coaches, some administrators, and there is always a mental health component," said Lane.
 
"It's nice to have the conference get together and see where everyone's thoughts are and how other schools are handling things. I don't know that there is a right and wrong way to do it. If you're making the effort to do whatever the student-athletes at your institution are asking for. Making sure that their wants and needs are met is the most important thing."