“This Is the Moment” — Elite Athletes Making Headlines about Mental Health

“This Is the Moment” — Elite Athletes Making Headlines about Mental Health

Posted on September 28, 2021

The conversation around mental health has reached a decibel level in recent months that cannot be ignored, thanks in part to top-ranking athletes making news. Similarly, the National Alliance on Mental Illness is pushing on priorities such as early intervention and treatment, quality of treatment, accessibility, and diverting troubled individuals into treatment rather than the criminal justice system. NAMI is expanding its stable of “Ask the Expert” webinars, including the “Help Not Handcuffs” series. The videos cover both individual mental wellness and societal issues. Shirley Holloway, president of NAMI’s board of directors, sees a positive angle in the current situation: “People are talking about their mental health in a different way — in an accepting way,” she says. Holloway says that mental health professionals tend to work in distinct “silos.” Instead, there needs to be a community-based system that people with mental health challenges and their families can navigate more easily.