Michael Phelps’ mental health story

Published by Daniel Brooks Moore on October 20, 2018October 20, 2018

Michael Phelps. World champion swimmer. 28-time medalist. He was the All-American dream come true and one of the world’s most successful athletes. But for all his success, he spent years of his life lost. One in four people around the world experience a mental health issue and 56% of American adults do not receive treatment. Just like Michael, many of us struggle even if we don’t show it.

“I hadn’t left my room for 5 days. I questioned whether I wanted to be alive anymore. I realized I am the strongest person I know, but I felt like the weakest.”- Michael Phelps
– Michael Phelps

Michael recognized that he couldn’t handle depression and anxiety on his own. That’s when he decided to seek help and see a therapist. He credits that decision with helping save his life.

Michael’s story is proof that getting support is a sign of courage, not weakness.

Michael X Talkspace

You don’t have to wait for things to get that bad. Therapy isn’t just for people struggling with serious mental illness. You can reach out to a licensed therapist as soon as you feel you need help. And it’s proven to work. Michael is teaming up with Talkspace Online Therapy to share the story of how therapy helped save his life. By helping people seek support for their mental health with Talkspace, Michael is trying to increase access to professional therapy for the millions who need it.

Many people don’t go to therapy even when they need help. As Michael says: “Open up, talk to your friends, your family, your teammates. And work with a professional therapist.”

Talkspace is convenient, affordable, and confidential therapy you can do anywhere, anytime — over 1 million people have already tried it. You can send unlimited text, audio, picture, and video messages to your therapist from a web browser or the Talkspace mobile app. If therapy helped one of the greatest athletes of all time feel stronger, maybe it can help you too.

Are you a therapist? Join Talkspace