Team launches training program in effort to ease burdens of competitive stress, academic pressure

By Vanessa Washington

“Psychological issues include depression, anxiety, apathy, uncooperative attitude, tension, sleep disturbances, mental distress, aggressive affect and behaviors, distress in social life, and emotional disturbances,” the 2021 study declared.

The activity also “was associated with the presence of depression, social phobia, obsession–compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and gaming addiction.”

As that last item suggests, the activity being looked at by the Industrial Psychiatry Journal study is excessive gaming.

You see – and as UND’s Frank Swiontek and Ryan Kraus fully understand – there’s a lot more to video gaming than just relaxing with buddies and having fun.

Swiontek is the innovation officer at UND, and Kraus is the head coach of UND’s esports team. Make no mistake, esports athletes can experience significant stress; and during the team’s post-season contests last fall, Kraus and Swiontek say, that stress was starting to take its toll.

“At the time, playoffs were occurring, finals were kicking up, and we were starting to see the wear and tear that some of this competitive stress was having on these players,” Swiontek said. He and Kraus both noticed this, and in response, the two began researching what practices they could implement to help their athletes before the start of the spring season.

The NCAA’s mental-health toolbox

As they discovered, not much has been written about mental health guidelines for esports, one of the newest competitive activities for college athletes. But the NCAA itself, Kraus and Swiontek learned, has a new and useful mental health mandate for all NCAA athletes.

And that’s why this spring, UND’s esports team implemented mental health training, in an effort to ease the burdens of competitive stress and academic pressure. (Editor’s note: Posters such as the ones shown with this story, which hang in UND’s esports spaces, are a part of that effort.)

Here’s how the American Council on Education’s Higher Education Today reported the NCAA’s action last July:

“The NCAA, in consultation with its Mental Health Advisory Group, has released a new edition of Mental Health Best Practices, which provides guidance to support student-athletes’ mental well-being,” Higher Ed Today reported.

“NCAA member institutions are required to offer resources and services consistent with the best practices, which go into effect Aug. 1, 2024.”

All college athletes experience stress and anxiety, of course. But for esports athletes, the sport adds a few key stressors all its own: For one thing, the teams compete in both the fall and spring, which means players don’t have much of an “off season” in which to decompress.

For another, in esports competitions, players are subject to sudden death, meaning they can be “killed” and removed from the game in an instant. So, all esports athletes know that each game is an utterly unpredictable situation, one where they might be left standing almost alone.

As an esports player once put it, “We game to escape stress, only to be stressed out over the game.”

In such an environment, the stress can be heightened. This past semester was no different, except there was a new effort taken by UND

Stress 101: How to cope in healthy ways

The NCAA’s Mental Health Best Practices guide “emphasizes the importance of making high-quality mental health care available to student-athletes,” Higher Education Today noted in its story.

“It also recognizes that the dual roles of student and athlete can entail both unique mental health risk and protective factors. For example, injuries increase student-athletes’ risk of mental health symptoms, while relationships with teammates can fortify mental health.”

Armed with this knowledge, Kraus and Swiontek got in touch with Michael Herbert, a research data analyst in University Analytics and Planning, and Michael Soward, a doctoral intern in Clinical Psychology at UND’s Counseling Center.

From there, the esports leaders learned that they would first need to establish a few things. For example, they needed a plan for how they were going to present this new idea to their athletes, plus a description of just what that idea would involve.

They decided to begin with a quick hands-on course at the beginning of the semester to introduce the athletes to the free resources that are available to them. Next came the CCAPS, or Counseling Center Application of Psychological Symptoms. This is a 10-minute mental health screening in which the athletes answer questions.

The screening can identify individuals who may be struggling with increased anxiety, depression, substance use and even suicidality.

“We’re able to identify those individuals who could benefit from additional support,” said Soward. “We report back to the coaches and let them know, and it then falls onto the coaches to reach out to those students.”

CCAPS offers other ways to identify what an athlete is going through, and one of these was introduced to the team captains at the start. It teaches how to start the conversation, how to engage team members about mental health and where teammates might be struggling, and how to identify those struggles in their teammates.

While Kraus is the head coach, there has been a big increase in athletes participating in esports; there are now close to 90 at UND. That means the team captains, given their closeness to the players, tend to be the most appropriate leaders to initiate these challenging conversations.

The program’s goal “is to nurture and keep all these athletes safe, especially in the mental health aspect,” Soward said.

From trial run to standard feature

While the spring conversations were a trial run for the program, team leaders were surprised by how many players took it seriously; in fact, they say, it was an overwhelming success. They were also surprised by how many athletes started watching out for one another after taking part in the training, the CCAPS element in particular.

“I’ve seen them become a lot more accepting,” said Kraus. “I’ve actually heard some students talk about it, especially when we were doing those tests.”

When asked what changes he hoped would result from this project, Swiontek said change wasn’t the goal. Instead, better awareness among the coaches and athletes was.

And if the team’s initial response to the project is any indication, that awareness seems likely to grow, through the fall esports season and beyond.

About the author:

A rising sophomore at UND, Vanessa Washington is an intern for UND Communications and UND Today.

Simone Biles went toe-to-toe with political activist Riley Gaines after the former competitive swimmer allegedly made comments about transgender athletes playing sports.

OutKick podcaster Gaines, 25, reposted the Minnesota State High School League’s Friday, June 6, X upload about winning a softball tournament.

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“Comments off lol,” Gaines wrote on Friday. “To be expected when your star player is a boy.”

In response, Biles, 28, called out the “Gaines for Girls” podcast host for her allegedly transphobic comments.

Simone Biles Explains Why It Was ‘Important’ to Stand Up for Teammates After MyKayla Skinner Comments

“@Riley_Gaines_  You’re truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight-up sore loser,” Biles wrote later that day. “You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans [people] feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!”

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She added, “But instead … You bully them … One thing’s for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!”

Gaines, in response, said that she found the Olympic gymnast’s comments to be “disappointing.”

“It’s not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces,” Gaines replied. “You can uplift men stealing championships in women’s sports with YOUR platform. Men don’t belong in women’s sports, and I say that with my full chest.”

Biles fired back, further defending the transgender community.

Simone Biles’ Most Honest Quotes About Mental Health and Wellness Through the Years: ‘We’re Human’

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“Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male,” Biles wrote, tagging Gaines’ account.

In subsequent tweets and comments, Biles continued to advocate for allyship while Gaines doubled down on her perspective. Neither has further addressed their differing points of view.

Biles, for her part, has long been a supporter of the LGBTIA+ community.

“The world we live in makes me sad, but I’d do x1000000 more commercials with you just to piss everyone off,” Biles wrote via X in November 2020, referring to an Uber Eats commercial she did with nonbinary Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness. “The LGBTQIA will always have my support and feel welcome on my socials.”

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Biles’ former teammates also praised her for advocating for others.

“After Tokyo, I said to [Simone], ‘There has to be so many people around the world that were suffering in silence and struggling with their mental health. You have no idea how many of those people you helped,’” retired gymnast Aly Raisman told Sports Illustrated in January. “She helps people feel less alone.”

In addition to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, Biles has also shone a spotlight on mental health awareness. In 2020, she withdrew from the Olympic Games over mental health issues about suffering “the twisties” mid-competition.

“I have to focus on my mental health. I just think mental health is more prevalent in sports right now,” she said at the time. “We have to protect our minds and our bodies and not just go out and do what the world wants us to do.”

Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall NFL draft pick, hosted the Young 9 Foundation’s CareSource Football Procamp, emphasizing mental health awareness for youth. Reflecting on his own childhood experiences with legends like Kobe Bryant, he’s committed to providing kids with memorable opportunities. This second annual camp featured Panther coaches and teammates, fostering a supportive environment for campers while instilling the significance of mental health. Young, raised in a household that valued emotional well-being, seeks to eliminate stigma for others and equip them with essential tools.

By the Numbers

• This is the second year for the Young 9 Foundation camp in Charlotte.
• Young hosted over 100 children at the Procamp.

State of Play

• The camp occurred between OTAs and the Panthers‘ minicamp, creating a unique atmosphere amidst the NFL schedule.
• Younger players, including teammates and coaches, participated to share insights and support the initiative.

What’s Next

As Young embarks on his third season with the Panthers, he aims to continue expanding the Young 9 Foundation’s reach and influence, with future camps and initiatives focused on youth mental health awareness.

Bottom Line

The Young 9 Foundation’s camp exemplifies Bryce Young’s dedication to mentoring youth and prioritizing mental health, highlighting the importance of giving back and fostering emotional resilience in the next generation.

Simone Biles has 11 Olympic medals and 30 World Championship wins. She is considered one of the best gymnasts of all time. Still, even she has to deal with negativity online.

“That was hard for me to wrap my head around,” Biles, 28, told the audience during her first visit to Hong Kong last week.

Reading such harsh words can be difficult, so she has learned to protect herself.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As June marks Men’s Mental Health Month, a Jacksonville mental health counselor talked about ways to break the stigma around the topic.

WATCH: Local group works to help men tackle mental, physical health

Mental health can be a tough topic for anyone, but for men, talking about it can feel even harder.

“I would say Men’s Mental Health Month is an opportunity to highlight the fact that men also have mental health,” Melissa Brown said. “Men also have emotions, feelings, thoughts, they also endure mental health struggles.”

Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year, but male depression often goes underdiagnosed, according to data from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Brown said outdated ideas about masculinity can make it harder for men to ask for help.

“In men, depression can sometimes present in anger and irritability, and people see that in men and they think, ‘oh you know, he’s just being a man,’” Brown said. “When really there’s a possibility that he could be suffering from feelings of deep sadness or depression.”

Experts said toxic masculinity — the idea that men should always be tough, unemotional, and self-reliant — often prevents them from acknowledging what they’re going through.

“I actually meet with a lot of men in my practice, and I encourage them to take it slow and maybe practice with expressing more of the positive emotions,” Brown said. “Practicing expressing those emotions a bit more could be less challenging and then working your way up to more of the difficult emotions.”

Whether it’s a friend, a loved one, a doctor, or a counselor, reaching out can make all the difference.