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Health and Safety Mental Health for Coaches and Student-Athletes

These references are offered to Maryland schools to assist in the formation guidelines to train all coaches at member schools of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSSAA) as well as assist coaches and student-athletes to recognize indicators of mental illness and behavioral distress in students, including depression, trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse. 

 

Many school systems have embedded behavioral health supports within their buildings and established policies and workflows for managing student behavioral health concerns, ensuring appropriate interventions are provided.  Interscholastic athletic coaches play a crucial role in identifying and supporting their athletes.  By recognizing symptoms of mental health issues and directing students to appropriate resources, they can provide essential support.

 

Coaches and athletic administrators must be mindful of their own mental health as well.  Resources found on these pages are designed for all ages to be cognizant and recognize mental health needs.  

Emergency Help Resources

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text #988

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)

National Suicide Prevention Textline: Text "start" to 741-741

 

Warning Signs and Symptoms

Behavioral Signs

Coaches or Student-athletes experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign or a problem:

  • Eating or sleeping too much or too little
  • Pulling away from people and usual activities
  • Having low or no energy
  • Feeling numb or like nothing matters
  • Having unexplained aches and pains
  • Feeling helpless or hopeless
  • Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
  • Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
  • Yelling or fighting with family and friends
  • Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
  • Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
  • Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
  • Thinking of harming yourself or others
  • Inability to perform daily tasks like getting to work or school

Source: Mentalhealth.gov

Behavioral changes coaches and student-athletes should be mindful of.

  • Changes in eating and sleeping habits
  • Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
  • Drug or alcohol abuse
  • Gambling issues
  • Withdrawal from social contact
  • Decreased interest in activities that have been enjoyable or taking up risky behavior
  • Talking about death, dying, or ‘‘going away’’ 
  • Loss of emotion or sudden changes of emotion with in a short period of time
  • Problems concentrating, focusing, or remembering
  • Frequent complaints of fatigue, illness, or being injured that prevent participation
  • Unexplained wounds or deliberate self-harm
  • Becoming more irritable or having problems managing anger
  • Irresponsible, lying
  • Legal concerns, fighting, difficulty with authority
  • All-or-nothing thinking
  • Negative self-talk
  • Feeling out of control
  • Mood swings
  • Excessive worry or fear
  • Agitation or irritability
  • Shaking, trembling
  • Gastrointestinal complaints, headaches
  • Overuse, unresolved, or frequent injuries

Source: Interassociation Recommendations for Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student-Athletes with Psychological Concerns at the Secondary School Level:  A Consensus Statement (2015)/NCAA