The Mental Health Crisis in High School Athletics: What Every Coach Needs to Know
Coaching in 2026 presents challenges our predecessors never imagined. Between parents navigating boundaries, student-athletes stretched impossibly thin across school, sports, work, and social commitments, and the constant pull of social media, the pressure cooker has reached a boiling point. Add the lingering psychological fallout from COVID-19, and we’re facing a perfect storm. The statistics tell a sobering story: anxiety and depression among student-athletes remain 1.5 to 2 times higher than before the pandemic.
Yet despite these mounting challenges, coaching remains the best part of my day. And here’s why: we (the coaches) have the power to make a real difference.
Understanding the Scale of the Problem
The numbers are staggering. Up to 44% of student-athletes report experiencing mental health symptoms on a daily basis. Think about that for a moment. Nearly half of the kids we coach are struggling every single day. Approximately 22.3% show signs of clinical depression—that’s one in every four athletes.
The pandemic didn’t create these issues, but it certainly amplified them. What it did give us, however, is permission to talk openly about what many athletes have suffered in silence for decades. The isolation, anxiety, and sadness that marked those years brought a once-taboo subject into the light, and for that, we should be grateful.
Why High School Athletes Are Particularly Vulnerable
When I started coaching boys’ varsity basketball at 26, I had limited understanding of teenage development beyond my own lived experience. Back in the 1990s, discussing feelings wasn’t something athletes did. Having since raised two teenagers myself, I’ve gained immense appreciation for the complex social and emotional landscape today’s athletes navigate.
Our athletes face unique pressures that compound normal adolescent challenges:
Developmental Timing
The Critical Intersection
- Compounding Challenges: High-performance demands collide with the volatile shift from adolescence to young adulthood.
- Key Tasks: Developing identity and emotional regulation while managing physical competition.
Performance Pressure
High Stakes & The Teenage Brain
- The Risks: Anxiety, burnout, and injury are linked to early attrition and lower academic functioning.
- The Disconnect: Teenagers often lack the neurological maturity to maintain perspective on “impossibly high” stakes.
Overcommitment
The Exhaustion Epidemic
- The Reality: It is rare for athletes to get 8 hours of sleep or eat a family dinner.
- The Load: Balancing school, work, and sport would challenge most adults, leaving students perpetually exhausted.
Special Considerations
Vulnerable Populations
- Female Athletes: Experience mental health issues at ~2x the rate of male athletes.
- Minority Athletes: Face the compounding burden of racism and discrimination, increasing inequitable health risks.
Recognizing the Warning Signs
Mental fatigue manifests in ways that coaches can observe if we’re paying attention. According to research on athlete burnout, watch for:
Physical Signs
- Chronic muscle and joint pain, weight loss, or increased resting heart rate.
- Leveling off or diminished performance, chronic fatigue, and decreased strength/stamina.
- Prolonged recovery time and frequent illnesses.
Behavioral Changes
- Punctual/motivated athletes start missing practices or seem disengaged.
- Withdrawal from teammates and social interactions.
- Loss of interest in their sport or activities they normally enjoy.
Emotional Indicators
- Irritability and overly emotional responses.
- Personality or mood changes, increased anger.
- Difficulty with concentration, forgetfulness, and diminished schoolwork.
When these symptoms appear, training plans become meaningless. An exhausted athlete won’t perform well or adapt to the stress of a workout. As coaches, we must recognize that pushing through isn’t always the answer—sometimes backing off is what unlocks potential.
The Turning Point: Investing in Mental Health Support
In 2021, I advocated for our Cross Country Boosters to invest $300 in bringing a sports psychologist to our program. That single investment proved to be one of the most valuable we’ve ever made. Dr. Stephen Gonzalez from Dartmouth College spent a few hours with our teams one Saturday morning in October, and it fundamentally changed how I approach coaching.
The benefits were immediate and profound. Our athletes learned vocabulary for discussing mental challenges. Parents gained perspective on the psychological demands of competition. And I became acutely aware of how emotional distress and race anxiety were the primary barriers preventing athletes from reaching their full potential.
Research supports what we experienced firsthand. Sports psychologists employ psychological strategies that successfully manage stress and performance anxiety, improving athletes’ overall mental health in high-pressure situations. Professional leagues have recognized this: the NFL and NFL Players Association now require each team to have a licensed behavioral health clinician working 8-12 hours weekly at team facilities, and the NBA’s Mind Health Program requires teams to have licensed mental health professionals.
If professional athletes with every resource imaginable need this support, imagine how much more critical it is for high school students juggling academics, athletics, and adolescence.
Practical Strategies for Coaches
Building Mental Resilience Through Language
After Dr. Gonzalez’s session, we began incorporating specific mental frameworks throughout our season. Phrases like “stay out of the bucket” and “relax, breathe, believe” became part of our team vocabulary. These weren’t just slogans—they were cognitive tools athletes could deploy when anxiety threatened to derail performance.
Mental resilience helps athletes improve performance, enhance sports enjoyment, and protect against situational depression from setbacks or trauma. We’re not just building faster runners; we’re developing humans who can handle life’s pressures.
Pre-Race Anxiety Management Techniques
Racing anxiety is one of the most consistent performance inhibitors I’ve observed. Here’s what actually works, backed by both experience and research:
Visualization: Experiencing an athletic event in your mind through visualization reduces anxiety that comes from uncertainty. In the days before competition, guide athletes to mentally rehearse every aspect—from arrival through warm-up to crossing the finish line.
The key is specificity. Athletes should immerse all senses in mental rehearsal: sights, sounds, smells, movements, and emotions. What does the starting line look like? How does the ground feel underfoot? What do they hear? The more vivid the mental experience, the less threatening the real one becomes.
Practice this regularly. Visualization should be practiced daily in the weeks leading up to competition, starting with 5-10 minutes. Athletes can incorporate it into cooldowns or before bed. Like physical training, mental rehearsal requires consistency to build skill.
Reframing Pre-Race Nerves: The body doesn’t distinguish between anxiety and excitement—they’re both high-energy states. Instead of saying “I’m so nervous,” teach athletes to say “I’m excited for this challenge.” This simple linguistic shift transforms pre-race jitters from threat to opportunity.
Focus on Process, Not Outcome: Racing with other talented athletes isn’t racing against them—it’s an opportunity to push yourself to new heights. Emphasize the team aspect: athletes aren’t alone on that starting line. They’re surrounded by teammates and coaches, all working toward a shared goal.
For more on visualization techniques, I recommend exploring resources from Dr. Patrick Cohn at Peak Performance Sports and reading this article on race day anxiety.
Creating a Supportive Environment
The foundation of mental health support is creating space where athletes feel safe discussing struggles. Here’s how we do this:
Normalize Conversations
The single most important thing parents and coaches can do is create a safe environment that promotes ongoing conversations. Mental health is health. Period.
Check In Regularly
Don’t wait for crises. Regularly check in with athletes individually and as a group to foster a culture where mental health is discussed openly. Sometimes just being heard makes the difference.
Adjust Training to Reality
Consider what is happening in athletes’ lives (exams, holidays, stress). Build in flexibility and recovery during these naturally taxing periods rather than sticking rigidly to the plan.
Teach Time Management
Help athletes prioritize commitments. They may need to cut work hours or focus on one sport per season. Have these conversations with compassion, not judgment.
Encourage Routine
Suggest regular meal times, consistent bedtimes, and daily routines. Predictability reduces anxiety. Mental recovery requires structure just as much as physical rest does.
Focus on Strengths
Enhance positive affect by offering perspective on optimism and resilience. Highlight what athletes do well and shift focus from negative self-talk to constructive growth mindsets.
Know Your Limits and When to Refer
This is critical: we are coaches, not psychologists. While coaches can provide initial support, there are times when professional help is necessary. If you have concerns about an athlete’s mental health, involve their parents ASAP and seek professional guidance from the school counselors.
Trust your instincts. If something feels seriously wrong, act on it.
Resources for finding help:
- School counselors and social workers
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Helpline: 1-800-950-NAMI (6264)
- Mental Health America
Building a Championship Culture Through Mental Health
Coaching is often compared to parenting, and the parallel is apt. Our ultimate goal is seeing our student-athletes happy, fulfilled, and successful—both on and off the field. We strive to create team cultures that foster belonging and support, like close-knit families. And yes, we want to win championships.
But here’s what I’ve learned: true success in sports results from building safe and encouraging environments where athletes can develop and thrive. The championships follow when we prioritize well-being.
The Path Forward
The mental health crisis in youth athletics isn’t going away. The American Academy of Pediatrics has declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for young people ages 10-34.
We cannot ignore this reality. Athletic directors must prioritize mental health by actively discussing it with coaching staffs. If your program doesn’t have access to sports psychology resources, advocate for them. That $300 we spent in 2021 had an immeasurable return on investment—not in wins (though we had those), but in athletes who developed mental skills that will serve them for life.
A Personal Note
When I step onto the practice field or stand at the starting line with my athletes, I’m acutely aware that I’m not just developing runners or basketball players. I’m helping shape young humans during one of the most formative periods of their lives. Some days they need a tough-love push. Other days they need someone to notice they’re struggling and give them permission to rest.
The art of coaching lies in knowing the difference.
When we create team cultures that prioritize mental health alongside physical development, we’re not just building better athletes. We’re building better people. And that matters more than any championship ever could.
