Raising Awareness About Athletes’ Mental Health with Mark Hilinski

The Beyond Addiction Show

Dr. Josh King welcomes you to another episode and a new season of The Beyond Addiction Show. As the football season starts, each week hordes of people sit and watch the players get to the field and perform amazing feats of physical strength and ability, but how often do people stop and think about the toll that this has on their mental health? Is their mental health considered at all? Are we paying enough attention to the emotional well-being of our athletes?

Today, Dr. King is accompanied by Mark Hilinski whose son, Tyler, a college quarterback, took his own life. Mark is sharing in today’s episode his efforts in trying to bring athletes’ mental health to the center of the scene. He talks about the foundation they set up in Tyler’s memory and the work they are doing to raise awareness of athletes’ mental health.

Key Takeaways:

[1:58] Mark shares about Hilinski’s Hope Foundation.

[5:25] Mark explains why he does not use the expression “committed suicide” anymore.

[6:55] We have to allow each other to ask for and receive help.

[8:50] Mark talks about the pressure his son was feeling as a college quarterback.

[11:30] Everyone needs to know that depression and anxiety are treatable.

[12:55] Mark talks about Tyler.

[20:41] What is your image of mental illness?

[22:59] Mental health problems are much more prevalent than we think.

[24:28] Mark shares a memory of when Tyler was in junior high school.

[27:50] Athletes are at particular risk to develop mental health issues as a result of the pressure put on them and also for really struggling to ask for support due to the stigma around it.

[29:32] Many athletes and coaches do not really understand mental health.

[32:05] Our athletes need a supportive community.

[33:07] What message does Mark want to share with other parents? Follow your gut instinct.

[36:03] It is not about mental health; it is just about health.

[38:00] Mark talks about Simone Biles and her healthy and courageous decision during the Olympics.

[39:30] Mark talks about H3H work on campus.

[43:48] H3H is a program that does not require any new resources and intends to help as many people as possible.

[46:40] H3H provides tools to help someone going through depression and anxiety.

[50:19] Mark and Dr. King talk about how important the campaign was to raise awareness about breast cancer and how H3H is trying to follow the same steps.

[52:19] Mark shares the results of research about children and adolescents who survive suicide attempts: Kids don‘t want to die, they can’t stand the pain they are in.

Mentioned in this Episode:

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Hilinski’s Hope Foundation