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Every soccer season, athletes like me are taught to watch for headaches, dizziness and blurred vision after a concussion. But no one has ever taught many of us that a concussion can also affect our mental health. 

Like millions of young athletes nationwide, I have played sports since I was 4 years old. Soccer has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember. Sports have taught me to show up, work hard and keep going even when things are not easy. What they didn’t teach me was that brain injuries don’t always show up as physical symptoms.

Today’s concussion conversation focuses heavily on when athletes can return to play. It spends far less time preparing families for what can happen emotionally after a concussion. Parents are taught to watch for headaches and dizziness. Coaches are trained to recognize physical symptoms. Athletes are evaluated before returning to play. But when it comes to mental health, student-athletes are often left to navigate that part of recovery with little awareness and far less support.

For my family, this isn’t an abstract policy debate. My older sister, Alyssa Peterson, died at age 13 during a mental health crisis after experiencing multiple concussions starting in 2017. In the years that followed, I watched my family search for answers as we learned more about the emerging science surrounding concussions and mental health. What we discovered was not certainty about every question, but growing evidence that concussion recovery also requires paying attention to mental health.

That evidence led us to advocate for Alyssa’s Youth Concussion and Mental Health Protection Act () in Colorado, which expanded concussion education to include mental health awareness. The goal was simple: to help ensure coaches and families know what to watch for so young athletes can get support when they need it.

Following speaking at a legislative hearing on Alyssa’s Act, I remember rushing to soccer practice. It felt strange to go from talking with lawmakers about something so personal to worrying about drills and practice like any other day. I looked at my coaches and teammates and wondered if they knew to watch for mental health changes after a concussion. If one of us began struggling emotionally after a head injury, would anyone recognize it?

I watched my mom sit for six hours waiting to testify at a second hearing. I knew I was going to miss soccer practice, which meant I would likely miss playing in my next game. But the effort mattered because families deserve better information about the possible mental health effects of concussions.

Then Alyssa’s Act passed this May. Colorado became the first state to require that mental health be included in concussion education. But the conversation shouldn’t be limited to Colorado.

It’s time we stop treating mental health as an afterthought in concussion recovery. Most families simply don’t know that concussions can also lead to changes in mood, anxiety, depression, irritability and social withdrawal. These changes can easily be dismissed as hormones, stress, or simply being a teenager. But sometimes they deserve much closer attention.

Researchers have been warning about this for years. A published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that, among more than 36,000 adolescents, teens with a history of concussion had more than three times the odds of having a depression diagnosis compared with those without a concussion. A published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that children and adolescents who experience concussions are at increased risk for later mental health difficulties. The on Concussion in Sport emphasizes monitoring athletes for mental health symptoms during recovery.

While researchers debate what repeated heading may mean, we should make sure families understand what to watch for today. Parents should know that changes in mood and behavior can be just as important to recognize as headaches or dizziness. Coaches should understand that athlete well-being includes both physical and mental health. Schools should prepare families for both. Young athletes should know that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

As a high school athlete, I am grateful that conversations about concussion awareness are growing. My hope is that those conversations continue to expand so that mental health is part of the discussion from the beginning, not something families discover only after they are struggling.

Protecting athletes and supporting sports participation are not competing goals. Better information makes sports safer and stronger. 

What I want adults to understand is simple: Brain health and mental health are not separate conversations. We don’t have to wait for every scientific question to be answered before acting on what we know. Every family deserves to understand that concussion recovery includes paying attention to mental health. My hope is that more families and student-athletes like me understand that concussion recovery isn’t only about getting back in the game. 

Colorado became the first state to expand concussion education to include mental health awareness. It shouldn’t be the last. 

My sister can’t benefit from what we know today. The next family can. With the World Cup bringing attention to soccer, I hope we also pay attention to what young athletes need after a concussion: support for their mental health, not just a plan to return to play.

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