KSU student-athlete fights depression

Sometimes in practice, Kent State sophomore student-athlete Ashley Joyce says she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Like so many times before, she couldn’t breathe. It was another panic attack.

Joyce tried to hide and suppress her emotions to bury the pain, but the feeling of hopelessness continually creeps up on her, sinking her deeper and deeper into depression. Fighting back tears, she headed to the bench to try to catch her breath. Teammates patted her on the back to calm her down. “You’re fine, Ash,” they said. “Everything’s going to be OK.” But Joyce is far from fine, and everything is far from okay.....

.....When Joyce constantly felt depressed and contemplated resorting to “extreme measures,” she realized she needed to get help. She consulted her trainer, who recommended she speak with Dr. Doug Muccio, who serves as the sport psychologist for Kent State University providing performance enhancement and counseling for student-athletes.

Bethany`s Notes: When a student athlete moves from a big fish in a little pond to a little fish in a big pond it can be a hard transition.  Coaches, trainers, parents, and many others can help the transition by listening and being empathic to a new environment.