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G Ryan Talks About Depression, Anxiety in Athletes Connected Video

Former University of Michigan swimmer G Ryan addressed their personal struggles with depression and anxiety in a new video from Michigan’s Athletes Connected mental health program.

Ryan, who finished their collegiate eligibility last spring, talks about the impact Michigan’s Athletes Connected program (and other resources) had on their mental health during their collegiate years. You can watch the rougly-four-minute video above.

Ryan is a non-binary person who prefers the pronouns “they” and “them,” but competed on the women’s team at Michigan. In the video, Ryan talks about their struggles with depression and anxiety even before beginning their college years at Michigan. Ryan runs through a number of programs that helped with mental health throughout their college career.

Mental health is an issue that more and more high-level athletes are coming forward about. We’ve covered Michigan’s Athletes Connected program as its grown, aiming to increase awareness of mental health issues and help student-athletes take care of their own mental health. The program has long had distinct ties to the swimming & diving program, and Ryan is the latest Michigan swimmer to appear in connection to the program.

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NRSwimmer
5 years ago

G has a beautiful stroke. It’s great to see that they haven’t lost their love for swimming even after all of their struggles.

Ol' Longhorn
5 years ago

Good on Gillian for sharing this, but also good on Michigan for having this program. Also, good luck with the Vortex.

JudgeNot
5 years ago

Good on you G, thank you for your story.

SaintJoseph
5 years ago

Anxiety, depression and addiction are very real brain issues. I applaud any person who publicly addresses any of those. I realize G RYAN addresses only 2 specifically. As virtually every family in our country is affected by one, two or all three is significant. If only all people would love others, be open-minded and compassionate.

Bob Sommers
5 years ago

Courageous

sch22
5 years ago

I so appreciate G’s sharing and openness on these topics. Oftentimes non binary athletes feel unsafe or ashamed because of the gendered nature of sports, but just some visibility can make the biggest difference. Not to mention the prevalence of mental health issues in sports that are too often shoved under the rug. This is so important and so awesome for athletes of all ages to see.

Hswimmer
Reply to  sch22
5 years ago

There are only 2 genders

Bigotrysucks
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

A comment like yours is why there’s so much depression and suicides. Learn to be more accepting and tolerant. Others have to tolerate you.

Hswimmer
Reply to  Bigotrysucks
5 years ago

Some people need to hear the truth…

2014Alum
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

I suggest you listen to people’s stories. You don’t have to agree with their actions, or or give it a badge of honor. I suggest you atleast just listen to their stories and just actually listen. Everyone’s got things to deal with in life, why torment a group of people because of the way they feel?

#MFan
Reply to  Bigotrysucks
5 years ago

It is good to seek help for depression no matter what is causing it. Suicide is never the answer. Good on G for seeking help. And good on M for trying to help.

Confusion over gender or sexual orientation may be a person’s struggle in life… but trying to create our own “categories” or thinking that gender is simply an idea we have of ourselves or that culture or society dictates is simply not true. And saying so doesn’t make me a bigot or intolerant of someone because they are struggling with this issue.

Gender runs deeper than our outward appearance… and someone like Caitlyn Jenner still possesses the soul of a man no matter what surgery has done to… Read more »

cbswims
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

Yet there are transgendered athletes. Worry more about improving yourself and less about categorizing.

Apso
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

Gender is a social construct. In the history of humanity is has never been a fixed and concrete entity, either between cultures or across cultures.

That said, kudos to G Ryan for speaking up on the mental health needs of all athletes.

Caeleb Dressel’s Bandana
Reply to  Apso
5 years ago

Gender is an evolutionary construct.

Meeeeee
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

I don’t agree. Gender relates to ideas and not physiology. There are however, only 2 sexes (XX and XY). G considers theyself (I personnally don’t like they or them as both are plural and G is only one person–but whatever) non-binary gender, but will always have XX chromosomes of the female sex. G also must realize this by competing on the women’s team, which i applaud. It is frustrating when an XY competes on a women’s team. Despite any hormonal or other treatment, they still have an unfair physiologic advantage.

Hswimmer
Reply to  Meeeeee
5 years ago

Lol

Tea rex
Reply to  Meeeeee
5 years ago

Scientifically speaking, even sex is not binary. XX and XY are most people, but there are people born with XXY chromosomes, or XY with an “invisible” Y that is not expressed.

BaldingEagle
Reply to  Hswimmer
5 years ago

Please comment as to how exactly this issue affects you personally, and why you should even care. Your opinion is noted, but it’s also noted that you are posting your opinion to be confrontational.

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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