

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) ? The National Athletic Trainers Association wants colleges to start treating the mental health of college athletes just as seriously as they do physical well-being.


Those who have dealt with mental illnesses say it's overdue.

"If you're an athletic director, and you want to be successful and you want to have good programs that are going to help your bottom line, wouldn't you want the healthiest student athletes you can have? Wouldn't you want the best mental health care providers and the best program in the country?" said former Michigan defensive tackle Will Heininger, who battled depression in college.


It's no coincidence that NATA used the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis to announce its campaign.



"There's a stigma there, and they still don't want to seek help," said Dr. Margot Putukian, the head team physician at Princeton and one of the doctors who has worked with the NFL on establishing return-to-play policies following concussions. "So, you have a group of individuals that have inherent in them this issue of driving, pulling, pushing through any kind of obstacle. So when they have a mental health issue, oftentimes, they think there's that obstacle ? that they don't want to seek help because they see it as a sign of weakness."

The paper, entitled "Developing a Plan to Recognize and Refer Student Athletes with Psychological Concerns at the College Level," cites studies that show the rate of mental illness is twice as high for adults 18 to 25 years old as it is those age 50 or older. Statistically speaking, NATA said, the probability of having college athletes on campus with some form of mental illness is a virtual certainty.


"Despite the risk of negative results, including diminished performance and loss of scholarships, collegiate athletes seem to use most substances and alcohol at higher rates than do age-matched non-athletes in the college population," the report said. "Student-athletes were more likely to report binge drinking than the general student population because they viewed alcohol use as normal."




"This is a real issue that affects real people," Heininger said. "Being susceptible to depression is part of the human condition. Knowing how to deal with it and being aware of your emotions is invaluable. If I had never come forward, I'm not sure what would have happened."