By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com

The University of Illinois' 500-plus student-athletes come from an assortment of diverse backgrounds and challenges.

From the 5-ft. 1-in. women's gymnast who bounds effortlessly across the tumbling mat to the 300-pound offensive linemen who bench-presses 400, they and the other student-athletes all possess a common denominator: they're all human beings who are faced daily with a myriad of personal issues.

To many ardent fans of collegiate athletics, especially those who currently participate in fantasy sports, the athletes are little more than the statistics they compile.

Collegiate athletes are stereotyped as over-achieving, resilient individuals who masterfully balance their responsibilities in both the athletic arenas and in the classroom. However, Associate Director of Athletics Randy Ballard, the UI's Director of Sports Medicine and Integrated Performance, points out that none of them leads a stress-free life. 

"We're all humans and we're all going through something," Ballard said. "It doesn't matter what uniform you wear, whether it's a Fighting Illini football jersey or a construction worker's helmet and safety vest, it's really, really important that we humanize our student-athletes. It doesn't matter how poor we are, how rich we are, what color we are, what religion we may be, or what sport we play, mental health challenges can affect all of us."

Simply put, UI's student-athletes are a microcosm of society. Like many of us, they are often stressed and overwhelmed. Some of them have mood issues such as depression. A handful has substance abuse situations with alcohol, drugs and stimulants. Others are preoccupied with how they "look" or how they're supposed to look. Sound familiar?

However, due to the enormous demands on their time - including training and practice, competition, travel, their commitments in the classroom, plus relationships with friends and family - a student-athlete's susceptibility to mental health issues is multiplied. Even social media plays a negative role.

"Twitter and Facebook are telling them how good or how bad they are," said Ballard. "It's a huge transition (from high school to college) and a huge stressor that these young people face."

According to statistics provided by the NCAA, about 20 percent of Americans 18 years or older experience a mental illness, but that percentage rises to nearly 30 percent for individuals in the 18-to-25 range.

In a survey of nearly 200,000 college students, about one-third of them reported being depressed, while 50 percent said they had an overwhelming anxiety of one type or another.

Jill Nicklas, a recently graduated Illini softball player from McKinney, Texas and 2017-18 president of UI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), remembers her first few weeks of being in Champaign, nearly 800 miles from her family and friends.

"My homesickness was rough," she remembers. "Every student-athlete is going through their ups and downs, and struggling with something. It's important to care about each another."

The Division of Intercollegiate Athletics' (DIA) efforts toward focusing on mental health initiatives gained momentum in 2014 when its sports medicine department launched a program entitled "I-Perform". Guiding the way were professionals from not only its own department, but also individuals from strength and conditioning, sports nutrition, and select coaches.

I-Perform's objectives were two-fold: 1) to create a relationship with the Carle Mental Health Providers for the purpose of extending mental health and sport psychology services to the student-athletes, and 2) to revamp the traditional pre-participation physical process to include mental health and wellbeing screenings for new student-athletes.

Shortly afterwards, the NCAA released its "Mental Health Best Practices" document, outlining recommendations for all collegiate student-athletes.

In the summer of 2017, the DIA remodeled unused space to create a new sports medicine facility. It now houses office space for team physicians and mental health providers. A shared waiting room space helps de-stigmatize mental health challenges away from coaches, locker rooms and public eyes. This past spring, two psychiatrists were added to the team and they began to serve and counsel student-athletes. And this fall, an additional licensed clinical social worker was brought on to the team.  During the recent 2017 and 2018 academic year, nearly 300 student-athletes were seen and supported between individual sessions and other offerings by the mental health team.

Led by University psychologists, SAAC's wellness group began conducting monthly meetings which included topics of "Managing Frustration and Overcoming Adversity", "Promoting Positive Body Image Through Nutrition", and "Life Beyond Athletics".

"We were able to talk in small groups about things we were all going through, sharing experiences we all need to overcome," said Nicklas. "From day one, we've gotten tremendous support from Randy and the rest of the staff, so we are confident that our mental health awareness program will continue to grow."

Today, the DIA is supported by a talented group of local mental health professionals employed at Champaign-Urbana's Carle Hospital and Clinic, including:

Dr. James Whisenand Psychiatry	Dr. Charles Hawley Psychiatry	Peggi White Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor
Jim Maurer Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Mental Health and Sports Performance counselor	Dr. Keith White Psychologist with special interests in Sport Psychology, Adult Psychology and Behavioral Sleep Medicine	Eugenia Reeves Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in Eating Disorders and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Fighting Illini Director of Athletics Josh Whitman firmly supports this new initiative.

"Like today's student-athletes, I also had challenges," Whitman said. "Tackling the transition from high school to college is incredibly difficult. Taking on the rigor of academic course work at the University of Illinois while at the same time stepping into the arena with the best athletes in the world is a really difficult proposition. I'm very grateful to Randy and (Chief Integrity Officer) Ryan Squire and so many other people who are involved in our program for the assistance that they provide. It's a very important area in our growing portfolio."

A main objective of I-Perform is to create a relationship with the Carle Mental Health Providers for the purpose of extending mental health and sport psychology services to the student-athletes.

Ballard and his staff are attempting to de-stigmatize mental health and let Illini student-athletes know that their doors are open.

"Our mental health staff, our counselors, our team physicians, our athletic trainers … all of our doors are open," he says. "If they're going through something and need our help, our door is open. Come knock, come ask, come step inside. We also want to encourage them to have conversations with their teammates, coaches, roommates, families, etc.

Later this fall, UI's Division of Intercollegiate Athletics will debut its website about mental health awareness, entitled "Illini Open Doors".

"Through a variety of articles and videos, our website will paint the picture of what we're trying to achieve through the services we provide and with the way we approach mental health," Ballard said. "It's easy to shut the door and pretend like everything's fine, but as humans we need to talk to others and ask for or offer help. We don't want our student-athletes to hide behind a closed door. We want people to de-stigmatize it … being okay with NOT being okay."