Research From Google Forms 2019
I started my research by creating a short Google Form with all the questions I wanted to ask. I took some questions out, added some more and probably took those out. Some questions were too personal while others were too vague or wouldn't answer what I wanted. After a couple days I crafted the Forms till it displayed the structure I wanted. After I received the data, I wished I had changed a few questions here or there or maybe changed the order, but in the end, the results were exactly what I needed. On May 13, there were 72 people who filled them out and this is what I am writing on. Those 72.
Here’s what I found in my research.
Thank you all who signed yes to having a legal guardian of 18 years or older give consent and to the ONE person who said no, what the heck?
1. Have you ever been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or any other mental health issues?
As I had expected, the number of people who were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, etc. was much lower than to people not. 24.3% (17) of people signed yes while 64.3% (45) said no and 11.4% (8) of people said undecided. These were the numbers I was expecting and looking at that, it might not be a lot of people but these are the people who are DIAGNOSED. Not those who felt like they were going through a mental struggle.
2. Have you ever sought out professional help for any mental illness?
The amount of people who sought out professional help was higher than that who were diagnosed. 27.1% (19) said yes, while 68.6% (48) said no and 4.3% (3) said undecided. This surprised me a bit. This could be because people who marked undecided on the first questions marked yes on this question or people who were undiagnosed sought out professional help for depression, anxiety, or another mental illness, or something else entirely. There’s a lot of different avenues for this reason and I’ll never know for certain.
3. Have you ever self-diagnosed yourself with depression, anxiety or any other mental health issues?
This is where things get interesting. 44.3% (31) of people said that they had self-diagnosed themselves with depression, 50% (35) said no to self-diagnosing, and 5.7% (4) marked undecided. That is an insane number. Now the number of yes’s might be off a bit. I’m sure not everyone could be diagnosed with a mental disorder but that a much higher number than it should be. That means people are going through depression and anxiety, and so much more, alone. They aren't getting the help they need or deserve. Nobody deserves to go through this yet still people are. And then it gets worse. I opened the data on a spreadsheet and I got chills at the results. 17 of those who self-diagnosed themselves also said yes to self-harm. This was the most shocking part of the data and honestly, the most terrifying. People are hurting themselves and yet they are NOT getting the help they need and deserve. This is what I'm trying to fix.
4. Have you ever self-harmed in the past?
For the most part, the answer was no. 70% (40) said no to self-harm while 27.1% (19) said yes, and 2.9% (2) said no. This is such a terrible number and needs to get fixed. People need help and that’s OKAY. This might sound cheesy, but you're NOT ALONE. There is always someone you can go to no matter how you feel. And trust me, I know it’s hard to speak up, especially to adults, and ask for help about this kind of stuff but if you are SELF-HARMING you need help. Not because something is wrong with you, but because you shouldn't be hurting yourself just because there are monsters in your head. Bleeding out the monsters won't work. I know.
5. If you do not have any mental health issues, have you seen mental health issues in YE and JE?
I am kinda surprised by this number in all honesty. 60.3% (41) said they had seen mental health issues in YE and JE and I thought it would be more. 23.5% (16) said they had not seen mental health issues in YE and JE and 16.2% (11) said undecided. This is a problem. I’m not saying that everyone should know everyone’s personal life but awareness needs to be raised for this blight that is spreading throughout the athletes. The athletes don't need to just realize this but the parents and the coaches. The administrators and the people up top need to realize how serious of a problem this is and how we need to try and fix it. That isn't just me, right?
6. Has someone with a mental issue ever approached you?
I won't linger on this question to much because it was just to see what the numbers were, but I’ll give you the figures. 51.4% (36) said yes to being approached with someone with a mental issue while 28.6% (20) said no and 20% (14) marked undecided. If you have a mental issue you should most definitely go to your closest friends and have someone to lean on, but they can only do so much. Sometimes you just need to find more help than that, and I know this might be hard to realize, it took me awhile, but finding the right help can go a long way and your friends will still be there for you every step of the way.
Now, you might be wondering why I didn't go over the short answer questions. I wanted to save those for later. They are much more intimate than percentages on a graph.
Has triathlon helped or worsened your mental health? How so?
There were a lot of different responses on this. A lot of people said it helped. The training was a place to lose yourself, it was a hideaway where you didn't need to worry about the rest of the world, an escape. An outlet to for where all your emotions go into each stroke, each pedal down, each bound. It had and will create friendships that would last a life time, people where proud of the people they had become, they were proud of their body and their looks and the physical attributes that come along with being a triathlete. It helped people find who they are. It has helped so many people in so many ways, myself including.
But there is another side to this coin.
While a lot of people said how it helped them, a lot of people said it made it worse. Most answers were both. People said it their lives worse because of the pressure. The pressure of the entire world on their shoulders. Pressure from their friends and what they would think if they were friends with a slow person. Pressure from their parents to do good or you're nothing. Because they've devoted time and money into this and if you fail, it might be a waste to them. Coaches expecting you to qualify for nationals. Pressure to do the workouts everyday even though some days you just CAN'T. It worsened because of all the sacrifices. The blood, sweat, and tears we put into this. Not going out with friends, always studying because it’s hard to make a living off triathlon and you need to be able to support yourself. What if the sacrifices we put into this aren't worth? I believe they are. I know many agree with me. I've integrated this into my life too much. This is no longer a hobby but a pushing need. If I don't do this, who am I? What am I? Am I a quitter? I can't leave this even if I wanted to. I love this with every single ounce of my body, mind, and sole. But in a way, I hate it with every single ounce of my body, mind, and sole. I am in no way saying this is bad. It is what it is and all we can do is push through those moments and find the answer.
My answer is this: Triathlon has helped and worsened my mental health. It has helped because it’s an outlet, an escape from my problems. I can push my very being into the workouts and race and lose myself with the pure joy and rush of adrenaline. I have found my closest friends through this sport. I love this sport so much I can't even think of departing its warm embrace.
It has worsened my mental health with all the pressure I put on myself and with the pressure I feel from everyone else. I must win. I must qualify. I must be the very best. There is no such thing as doing bad and if there is, I shouldn't be doing this. I can't just enjoy a race. I must WIN. And these thoughts coursing through my brain may be false. They are not correct, but I think everyone one who will read this will agree with me. They happened and we can only work through them. You can really only work through anything in life.
Anything else you would like to add?
Let's end on a happy note, yes? This was my favorite part.
"Never sacrificed anything more in my life than for this sport. It returns the favor by helping me become who I am. Nothing is more powerful than that."
"I love this sport."
"This is a topic that needs more attention. This is a great start."
"I appreciate you doing this to help better the community and the world, thank you."
"I feel like this a great project idea and a research to be carried out. Because though it’s important for everyone to be aware of the mental health issues among YE and JE athletes, I’ve never really seen it be addressed in the sport before now. So good job to you :)"
"Getting wrapped of yourself and your performance is what hurts the most, you gotta not focus on yourself and just be happy to race and happy for others no matter how you do. (to an extent, being disappointed and wanting to be better is needed to improve)"
"I'd be dead without this sport. Literally and figuratively."
These are just a few of the comments are. And I have no idea who said this, but thank you. This means so much to me and I'm not doing this for people to give me recognition but to help those who need it. Now there were a couple things that were added that weren't so happy and cheery, but all those were already covered.
Thank you everyone for all your support in this journey. And for those of you who need to get help and feel like you're not alone, don't worry. There are people here to help.
Sincerely yours,
Asher Lauderdale
Team Playtri Elite