The charity Mind has published a report which shows that professional athletes may be struggling in silence with mental health issues for fear that asking for help with a mental health problem will negatively affect their careers.
The report, Performance Matters: Mental Health in Elite Sport, is fronted by Mind’s new celebrity ambassador Clarke Carlisle and calls on professional sports clubs, governing bodies and community organisations to forge closer working relationships as part of a pan-sport mental health network.
The research explores how sports' governing bodies and players' organisations currently respond to, manage and prevent mental ill health amongst athletes, and identifies successful programmes which can be shared with other sports.
The report also highlights the individual needs of sportspeople facing a unique set of pressures in their jobs.
Mind found that individuals and players associations such as the Professional Footballers’ Association, Professional Cricketers’ Association and Rugby Players’ Association are taking the lead in looking after athletes' mental health, rather than clubs as employers.
The report concludes that managers, coaches, clubs, governing bodies and players' unions all have a role in supporting sports professionals to manage their mental wellbeing.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, believes that whilst it’s positive sport is now beginning to support people with mental health issues, more support is needed.
"We are delighted things are starting to happen in sport, to support people with and prevent people from developing mental health problems, but working in isolation is not the solution.
"We want to work with sports governing bodies and other organisations to find better ways of ensuring our sporting heroes, and their families, have the support they need."
Read the Performance Matters: Mental Health in Elite Sport report.
