Isolated athletes face mental health risks

....."Stress and anxiety can manifest in substance abuse. That`s what I`d look out for, if they`re using alcohol as a support," she said.

"There has certainly been some anxiety," added Broderick, who said Australia`s tennis players receive regular communications and can call on medical support.

"The high-level, high-profile professional athletes can handle this loss of income but there are a lot of athletes on the fringe," she said.

"If you have a few months of loss of activity there`s a significant loss of income as well."

She recommended athletes stick to routines, focus on what can be controlled and use their extra time for a hobby or online training to maintain their mental health.....

   ...more

Bethany`s Notes: Ask your student athletes real questions about how they are coping. Ask if they are using substances, if they are depressed, if they are able to get up in the morning and function normally. If not, encourage them to get help during this time.