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Michael Abrahams | Prioritising mental health

Published:Tuesday | August 10, 2021 | 12:06 AM
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Michael Abrahams
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Michael Abrahams
Japan’s Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig during their first-round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Osaka withdrew from the French Open and wrote on Twitter that she would be t
AP
Japan’s Naomi Osaka returns the ball to Romania’s Patricia Maria Tig during their first-round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. Osaka withdrew from the French Open and wrote on Twitter that she would be taking a break from competition, a dramatic turn of events for a four-time Grand Slam champion who said she has ‘suffered long bouts of depression’.
Simone Biles of the United States watches gymnasts perform after she exited the team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent, young black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings e
AP
Simone Biles of the United States watches gymnasts perform after she exited the team final at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Biles and Naomi Osaka are prominent, young black women under the pressure of a global Olympic spotlight that few human beings ever face. But being a young black woman – which, in American life, comes with its own built-in pressure to perform – entails much more than meets the eye.
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The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are now behind us. We witnessed many outstanding and historic performances by athletes, such as our own Elaine Thompson-Herah. However, one elite athlete was noticeably absent: America’s Simone Biles. At age 24, she is...

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are now behind us. We witnessed many outstanding and historic performances by athletes, such as our own Elaine Thompson-Herah. However, one elite athlete was noticeably absent: America’s Simone Biles. At age 24, she is tied with Larisa Latynina (of the former Soviet Union) as the most decorated gymnast of all time. With four gold medals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she set an American record for the most gold medals in women’s gymnastics at a single Games.

So, her participation at the Tokyo Olympic Games was eagerly anticipated. At the competition she won the bronze medal in the beam final, but withdrew from the finals of several other events, citing mental health issues. After withdrawing from the team final, she issued this statement:

“I say put mental health first. Because if you don’t, then you’re not going to enjoy your sport and you’re not going to succeed as much as you want to. So it’s OK sometimes to even sit out the big competitions to focus on yourself, because it shows how strong of a competitor and person that you really are — rather than just battle through it.”

Biles said she was inspired by fellow Olympian, Japan’s Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the 2021 French Open after winning her first match, and opted out of participating in Wimbledon, also citing mental health issues.

While many persons inside and outside the sporting fraternity have empathised with these women and supported their decisions, there are many detractors who rubbished their mental health concerns.

WELL-NEEDED DISCUSSIONS

The actions of Osaka and Biles have generated much well-needed discussions about mental health and self-care. The fact is that mental health is just as important as physical health, but many do not see it that way. If Osaka had said she was sitting out Wimbledon because of a torn rotator cuff, or if Biles had reported that a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament had caused her to temporarily stop competing, some of those who dismiss their mental health concerns would understand and have no issues with them withdrawing from competition.

But just because mental illness is intangible and is not a disease that is measurable by blood tests or radiological investigations (although some types of brain scans of people with certain mental illnesses show some abnormalities), it does not mean that it is not real and cannot significantly impact someone’s well-being.

Biles, for example, was in and out of foster care during her childhood, is a sexual assault survivor, and has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition that is not uncommon in survivors of trauma. In withdrawing from the events at the Olympics, she explained that the main reason for her withdrawal was that she was experiencing ‘the twisties’, also known as the yips or lost move syndrome. When athletes experience this psychological phenomenon, fine motor skills, muscle memory and decision-making are compromised. Competing while being affected by this can cause an athlete not only to perform poorly, but it also places them at risk of serious injury, especially if the athlete is a gymnast.

When public figures and celebrities such as actor and comedian Robin Williams, or celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, commit suicide, people are shocked and appalled. They ask what could have caused them to do what they did, or if there were no warning signs, or why did they not get help.

MAINTAIN SANITY

But what Osaka and Biles are doing are takings steps to not end up like Williams and Bourdain. They have seen the signs of declining mental health and are doing what they need to do to maintain their sanity. If you have diabetes, you should avoid sugar as much as you can in your diet; and if you are hypertensive, it would be in your best interest to minimise your consumption of salt. As a matter of fact, we should all do this. Similarly, if your mental health is compromised, it may be in your best interest to step away from situations in which you will be placed under immense psychological pressure until you are at a better place mentally.

We can all learn from the examples Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles have set. If we do not prioritise our mental health, we are doing ourselves a disservice. We must do it. And when we do, we must be prepared for people to express displeasure with some of our decisions, such as setting and maintaining boundaries and even withdrawing from others, in some cases permanently, in order to recharge or to maintain our sanity.

It is not about others and what they think. It is about you. Only you know the challenges you face and how they affect your mental health. Protecting it must be a priority.

Michael Abrahams is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, social commentator, and human-rights advocate. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and michabe_1999@hotmail.com, or Twitter @mikeyabrahams.