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On college campuses in the United States, around 30% of women and 25% of men who are student-athletes report having anxiety, according to data shared by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Among athletes with known mental health conditions, only 10% seek care from a mental health professional, according to the ACSM.

The NCAA found that during the coronavirus pandemic, student-athletes' mental health was even negatively affected, with students reporting stress due to academic concerns, lack of access to their sport, financial worries and COVID-19 health concerns.

Professional athletes like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka have been public in recent years about the pressure, stress and burnout they've faced at the top of their sports, and those are struggles college athletes may feel too.

According to the ACSM, student-athletes face pressures from academics and competing, as well as other stressors like being away home home, traveling for games, feeling isolated from campus and other students due to their focus on sport and adapting to being in the public spotlight.

Bracken said that it is because of the support of her team and coaches that she was able to return to the field, writing, \"I was able to navigate my way out of the darkness instead of letting it consume me.\"

“I want other coaches to just say, 'Hey, how can I be here for you?,' because I never ever want a coach or a parent or teammate to see a situation like Katie Meyer [or] Morgan Rogers and say, 'I wish I had done more,” she told \"GMA.\"

She added that she has been heartened by the response she's received to opening up about her own mental health battle, saying, \"I'm so grateful people are listening.\"

\"I had a father reach out to me and telling me that after reading the essay, he drove two-and-a-half hours to his daughter's lacrosse practice and waited outside to give her a hug,\" said Bracken. \"And it was the most beautiful thing, because it's exactly why I wrote it.\"

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.

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