Regarded as a taboo until recently, discussions on mental health have certainly become mainstream in the past few years. Several high-profile athletes have opened up about their struggles including the much-debated Osaka saga. It’s hard to persuade people that athletes with their celebrity status and millions of dollars deserve sympathy, but the reality is that neither talent nor money guarantee mental stability. If anything, in our ever-connected world, celebrities are prone to daily doses of abuse and hate, which can be detrimental to their mental health; Manchester United’s Harry Maguire being one of the most recent examples.
This month – which is Mental Health Awareness Month – we will explore what mental health is and what kind of problems are associated with poor mental health. We will also zoom in on the effects that social media has on mental health broadly and athletes specifically. Nonetheless, sport is actually one of the best ways to safeguard one’s mental health and we will therefore explain why it is so vital for teenagers to engage in sport. Finally, we will take a brief look at some of the superstars who found the strength to discuss their problems publicly.
Athena P. Constantinou
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