Oregon Ducks Tackle Mental Health Stigma in Student-Athlete Mental Health Week

As Mental Health Awareness Week begins, the Oregon Ducks' athletic department is taking a proactive approach to address the mental well-being of its student-athletes. The University of Oregon is prioritizing mental health through initiatives designed to destigmatize the issue and offer support to athletes facing mental health challenges.

Sep 26, 2015; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks and Utah Utes fans stand outside the stadium before the game at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-Imagn Images / Scott Olmos-Imagn Images

EUGENE- The Oregon Ducks athletic department is renowned nationwide. Whether it's providing student-athletes with top-notch gear, uniforms, coaching, and staff, Oregon prides itself in creating a supportive environment for all its student-athletes. One crucial aspect of their success goes beyond practice or the weight room; it exists internally: mental health. 

Student-Athlete Mental Health Week is set for Oct. 5-12, coinciding with Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 1-7, and World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10. During the week, Oregon will emphasize the importance of mental health, especially within the student-athlete community where individuals must balance school, family, social life, and athletic performance. 

Statistics highlight the need for attention to mental health among student-athletes. 33% of all college students experience significant symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. While 30% of that group seeks help, only 10% of college athletes with mental health conditions do. 

According to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suicide is now the second leading cause of death among U.S. college athletes after accidents, and rates have doubled over the past 20 years. 

"Mental health is huge," Oregon Ducks center Iapani Laloulu told Oregon Ducks on SI’s Olivia Cleary. "We're away from our family and friends, and we're constantly going to workouts and practice. Then right after workouts, you go to school. So mental health is important. I know there's a lot of people who are struggling with their mental health and might not want to bring it up, but it's important to bring awareness. There are people out there who are willing to talk to us." 

Nov 18, 2023; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Iapani Laloulu (72) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Oregon is actively working to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health through a campaign "Duck The Stigma." Student-athletes, administrators, and psychologists within the department are speaking out about the importance of prioritizing mental health in the student-athlete community. 

The athletic department and "Duck The Stigma" offer a variety of services dedicated to ensuring the well-being of student-athletes both on and off the court and field. A significant aspect of this is providing counseling to student-athletes. Two of those psychologists leading the charge are David Mikula and Dr. S.H. Moon. Dr. Moon will be recognized as the guest coach in the Ducks' sold-out upcoming game against Ohio State. 

Mikula serves as the Director of Behavioral Health Services for Oregon Ducks student athletes. Mikula is a licensed psychotherapist who has been working with Oregon Student Athletes since 2001. He is familiar with the stress student-athletes experience as he was one himself. 

Dr. Moon, like Mikula, was also a student-athlete. Moon was a member of the women's basketball team at Lewis and Clark University in Portland, Oregon. She is the Associate Director of Behavioral Health and Sport Psychology for the Ducks athletics program. She is passionate about decreasing mental health stigma and increasing access to mental health care for all athletes. 

Moon was hired seven weeks ago as the University of Oregon seeks to expand their team to meet the needs of all student-athletes on campus. 

"There are student-athletes who go through mental health challenges that really need support and resources to handle all the stress and the pressure that they feel as student-athletes," Moon told Oregon Ducks on SI. "They're not just dealing with academic challenges and pressures of being a college student, but the traveling, the performance anxiety, relationship issues, everything that a regular college student goes through, athletes have that much more pressure because of the pressure to perform and to show up for the team and to compete." 

Another Duck working with Dr. Moon and Mikula to create a better community for student-athletes is Oregon women's basketball player Sammie Wagner, a redshirt sophomore out of San Antonio, Texas. Sammie is a member of Oregon's Student-Athletes Advisory Committee, better known as SAAC. SAAC is made up of student-athletes across all programs who represent their teams, provide insights on student-athlete experiences, and offer feedback on various rules, regulations, and policies that impact student-athletes. 

Sammie Wagner / Sammie Wagner

"Being a student and being at this age in life can be hard in general," explained Wagner. "Playing a sport is automatically going to add 80 hours to your week just by being part of a team, practice, meetings, games, things like that. At Oregon, we also have a lot of social media attention. We have a lot of people looking at us, people looking for us to make mistakes. So, I think it just becomes amplified." 

Due to the heightened expectations and increased amount of responsibility for student-athletes, it's important to destigmatize asking for help and getting the resources that are needed. That is the mission of Oregon's "Duck the Stigma" campaign, and so far, it has proven to be successful. 

Student-athletes across the various sport programs at Oregon have endorsed the way the university has prioritized their mental health, especially in this time of conference realignment when student-athletes have to travel greater distances and often times further from home. 

Abby Mulvey / Abby Mulvey

"I live with three transfers, and I was talking to them about how other schools that they came from handle mental health and all of those things. And they said that Oregon, by far, is like way above the standards in mental health," said Oregon Softball player Abby Mulvey. "We just feel like we have so many people on our side. So my roommates were just saying how they're amazed with the resources that we have here as athletes." 

The University of Oregon's commitment to mental health within its athletic department sets a positive example for other institutions. By prioritizing the well-being of its student-athletes and providing necessary resources, the Ducks are not only fostering a supportive environment but also contributing to the overall success and development of its athletes. 

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