By Connor Boyd For Mailonline
Published: 23:30 BST, 16 May 2019 | Updated: 23:30 BST, 16 May 2019
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Scores of athletes may be hiding mental health problems because they feel it may harm their career, research suggests.
One in three sports stars suffer from mental illnesses, such as depression, due to the fierce demands placed upon them, according to estimates.
But experts say they are choosing not to seek help over fears it'll be seen as a sign of weakness to their competition, peers and the public.
They also worry it'll scare-off potential sponsors and harm their chances of signing a professional contract.
One in three sports stars and Olympians are hiding mental health problems because they feel it would harm their career, new research suggests
Researchers analysed 52 studies that included 13,000 elite athletes at professional, Olympic, or university level from 71 sports around the world.
They conducted the review as part of a special issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine devoted to the topic.
The most common mental illnesses were sleep disorders, depression and anxiety, eating disorders, substance misuse, gambling and other addictions.
In many cases, depression and anxiety were the direct result of injuries and concussion.
'Athletes fear, possibly rightly so, that disclosing mental health
