Being a high school student includes: friday night football games, fundraisers, homecoming, prom, and more importantly, managing an ever-growing workload. According to glitnux.org, the average high school student spends “…about 7 to 12 hours a week.” on homework. School takes up a great portion of our lives, and this amount of time working on homework is necessary for positive academic performance.

Imagine how difficult it is for student athletes to study effectively and stay productive while dealing with the pressures that come with their sport. Youth athletes, such as high school students, were tested by medical professionals, and these evaluations revealed that “…16.9% were experiencing at least one mental disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of 25.1%” (bjsm.bmj.com). Out of these percentages, there aren’t many athletes who speak up and seek help for their mental health problems, which is a great issue. The main reasons why this happens is because of embarrassment and fear of what others will think of them, which is why stigma around mental health needs to be eliminated.

Our society can become judgemental and opinionated when it comes to strong topics such as mental health. However, we need to realize that a mental health disorder can’t be compared to normal feelings of sadness. It needs to be taken seriously in order for people like student athletes to grow more comfortable in admitting that something is wrong. Just like a physical injury, mental health disorders require time to recover and relax in order for the person to come back to their sport in their right headspace. Therefore, student athletes need to prioritize their mental health over physical performance to ensure they are the best versions of themselves at all times.