HEALTH &
WELLNESS
“It’s important to try to give [faculty] a little bit of a cheat sheet
so they can be aware of how athletes and high-achieving students
process anxiety and depression in 2018.”
— KATE FAGAN
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
OF DEPRESSION
• HOPELESSNESS, IRRITABILITY,
ANGER OR HOSTILITY
• LOSS OF INTEREST IN ACTIVITIES
• CHANGES IN EATING AND
SLEEPING HABITS
• RESTLESSNESS AND ANXIOUS
• FEELINGS OF WORTHLESSNESS
AND GUILT
• TROUBLE MAKING DECISIONS
• FATIGUE OR LACK OF ENERGY
• UNEXPLAINED ACHES AND PAINS
• DIFFICULTY CONCENTRATING
• THOUGHTS OF DEATH
OR SUICIDE
THE SIGNS YOU DON’T SEE Madison Holleran, a track star at Northern Highlands Regional
High School in Allendale, committed suicide her freshman year at the University of Pennsylvania
in 2014.
not just to the public, but to the faculty.
“They have different tasks that they are
focusing on and I think this is one area
that they may not be well-versed in,”
Fagan says. “So, it’s important to try to
give them a little bit of a cheat sheet so
they can be aware of how athletes and
high-achieving students process anxiety
and depression in 2018 and explain that
it might have looked different to them
when they were going through high
school, whether that was 10 or 30 years
ago.”
Fagan says anxiety and depression
rates among college athletes are still
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lower than the general population of
schools, but believes the main factor
there might be the core belief in all
athletics not to show any weakness.
And while there is certainly no easy
solution to these problems, Fagan is
waging a campaign to try to explain
how these issues come about, under-
standing them and offering options.
“At this point I feel like I relay it back to
a much bigger discussion that I think
athletic departments both at the high
school and college level need to be
having every day,” Fagan says. “Many
are starting to have it, but they need
to make sure they have plans in place
and they’re communicating on a weekly
basis about their athletes and their care,
and making sure they feel like each
one of them has someone on staff they
connect to. I think that’s kind of where
we’re heading.”
Holleran represented one of North
Jersey’s best and brightest stars. Her
future seemed to carry assured success.
Fagan says she has remained in contact
with a family friend, and is happy to
be keeping Madison’s story alive and
important. “I feel very fortunate that
I have been given the opportunity to
talk about this issue,” she says, “espe-
cially with high school- and college-age
kids, because I think having written
Madison’s story and because of my own
background that it resonates with high
school and college athletes.” ●
— National Institute of Mental Health