Mental health, neurodivergence and sport

I have always been passionate about mental health awareness and how best we, as a society, in and out of sport can help people. I have had some really challenging periods with my own mental health since childhood due to the overlap between poor mental health  and neurodivergence. However, last year a lot changed making my passion for mental health awareness even stronger. I suffered a serious knee injury which has forced me to have a year out from the sport I know and love which created a huge mental health challenge. But what I haven’t said, until now, is the fact I lost my long term S&C coach to mental health in May last year. 

This article is split into three themes; injuries and sport, neurodivergence and mental health and why mental health awareness is so important. I have lived experience but I am not a mental health professional, yet I hope this piece helps generate positive conversation. 

Injuries and sport

Injuries in sport are unavoidable. It is part of the game. However what you never prepare yourself for is 12-18 months on the sidelines; in my case with a complex knee injury involving several different structures. I always knew sport was a form of therapy for me but I didn’t expect the mental health challenges that came with the sudden pause to be so hard. Everything I knew was put on hold. I broke down crying every day for months, rarely leaving my room due to simply not knowing who I was without cycling. 

Cycling at a professional level is hard, it becomes incredibly challenging navigating relationships with those around you in the sport as everyone is ultimately chasing the same goals. When two of my long term friends from the sport became injured and ill a few years back, I thought it was strange of them both thanking me all the time for being there for them as I assumed everyone else was doing the same as me and checking in. However, when it was my turn to be confined to my bed I was thanking them both alongside a small handful of others all the time as I suddenly realised how isolating it really is and how people very quickly forget about those fighting battles off the road. 

When you become badly injured you realise that professional cycling culture makes riders cyclists not people. I am incredibly lucky to know the damage to my knee is nearly healed and none of the many doctors and physios who have been involved in my case have said this is career ending despite me asking this question to them all the time. I can walk normally again and am hopefully back on the bike very soon, (something I am very excited about!) and I will be back racing in 2026 with a fully functioning body.

I will never let myself be just a cyclist again. I love cycling, racing my bikes and everything that goes with the sport but I also love writing. I also love hanging out in London parks drinking coffee with friends, I am obsessed with my polaroid camera, and I love horses, amongst a whole host of other things. This change is simply as I never want to have to ask myself again ‘who am I?’ In the likely event I hit the tarmac hard and require time out in the future. I also know a lot of athletes struggle mentally when they retire so I want to make sure in a decade's time I do not struggle with my identity when I step back from racing.

How can we limit the mental battles faced by injured athletes when we can not remove the injuries? My answer to this question is simply check in on your injured peers. Not being forgotten about by teammates and the wider community is so important (thank you to those who have been there the last year!). Yet as a sport we need to remind athletes we are who we are as people, not just cyclists. 

Neurodivergence and mental health

In case anyone reading this is new to my own story; I have a whole list of neurodivergent diagnoses that were picked up in my late teens. However I also have a BA and Masters by research in Human Geography with most of my research focusing on the lived experiences of neurodivergent people. From this work, I realised that my own battle with my poor mental health is far from an isolated story. According to Autsitica, 80% of autistic adults will experience mental health problems during their lifetime. Cassidy et al (2022) uncovered how both diagnosed and undiagnosed autistics made up around 40% of those who had died by suicide yet autism is only found in 1.1% of the UK population. Parsons (2023) found a similar picture in the percentage of women undergoing inpatient treatment for eating disorders. Meanwhile in a study for Additude mag uncovered that 73% of ADHD women also had an anxiety diagnosis. 

I could talk a lot about neurodivergence and mental health within society but given most reading this will be sports fans I want to focus back on the mental health of neurodivergent athletes. Our sport is tough, all professional sports are tough by definition yet whilst we need to actively address athlete mental health across the board we can not forget the mental health of neurodivergent riders and staff within our sport. Travelling the world for a neurodivergent person can be tough, changes in environment, routine, space, temperature and people can be a challenge; and that’s before you add in everything that comes with racing on top! 

I really believe that many of the best athletes (I am not talking about myself here!) are those who are neurodivergent as it frequently comes with a level of commitment and drive that is not frequently seen in the neurotypical population. Yet at the moment our sport is not inclusive and it is unsurprising the amount of athletes who are neurodivergent who have faced huge mental health challenges within our sport. Some athletes are driven to the point they have walked away completely. We need a greater understanding of neurodivergence as until we have neurodivergent staff supported so that they can be successful role models to neurodivergent riders (whilst also able to educate our neurotypical peers), I do not see change happening. We need to listen to neurodivergent riders and staff so that teams and wider sport management can best support the mental health of neurodivergent athletes. With this approach we have the chance to change the narrative by giving a voice to those with lived experience and therefore preventing any more neurodivergent riders hitting a mental breaking point. 

Why is mental health awareness so important?

Last year I got a message I never expected to receive. I was sitting on the turbo spinning my legs out when my phone pinged and in that moment everything changed. I got off the bike shaking and sat on the floor in complete denial. I do not remember much else that day and every day since has been different to the days that came before. I have lost people in horrific circumstances prior but until that day, never to mental health. 

Ian was a brilliant coach and so passionate about sport. He was physically fit, always smiling and just an all round lovely person. When I was diagnosed with RED-s in 2022 it was a whole new concept to him but within days he had read everything on the internet and arguably knew more than me. He always checked in when things got tough, whether that be university exams, hard periods on the bike or even wider life. He gave the best life advice and was someone who always put you in a better head space after a chat. Some people are just genuinely nice people who you can only enjoy spending time with and Ian was one of those. 

I have spent the last year questioning if I missed anything and being angry at myself for the fact I am thanking him for not only making me a better athlete but also a better person now instead of when he was here to hear it. I can never be angry at Ian, no one should be dead at 33 in these circumstances. Yet I feel angry at the system and world we live in for the fact that so many people die from poor mental health each year.

It has been a reminder of the silent battles that people face or will face at some point in their lives. Everything can seem so great to the outside but unaware to others you can be drowning in your own brain. Society often allows us all to default to being caught up in our own lives, I too have done this a lot but it's so important to step back and think of those around us, check in and offer a shoulder to lean on as mental health is frequently a silent killer. 

Sport is an amazing tool for promoting good mental health but those who are physically fit are not immune to mental health problems. I see it as a tool to help fight those battles but it will never make you 100% immune from them. I feel like this is often forgotten about as there is this weird belief that still subconsciously appears to exist that physically fit = mentally healthy but this is never guaranteed. 

If you do one thing today please check in on those around you. Ask if they are okay and if you have any doubts ask again. Tell people they matter as trust me it might feel an awkward thing to do but do it whilst you can as it might just make everything a little lighter for someone who matters. 

Connie Hayes

Rider - CJ O’SHEA Racing