Imagine working your whole life for a moment, only to find that moment taken from you in a way that you could never anticipate. For many, that may be a dream promotion at work or a great new job. For Olympic athletes like Simone Biles, it is to represent your country and bring home a gold medal.
But the world was stunned by her announcement to withdraw from Olympic competition.
How could this be? How can a young, healthy person who is widely considered the greatest gymnast in the world withdraw? Surely, there must be an injury.
But what if that injury is invisible?
Invisible Wounds of Behavioral Health and Just as Painful
Many people are surprised to learn that the number-one cause of disability worldwide is not diabetes or heart disease. It is actually depression! This is stunning because we sometimes forget the pervasive nature of this kind of pain and how debilitating it can be — that it can truly disable an individual. It does just that for millions of people around the world every single day. Today is no exception.
If an athlete withdraws from competition because they injured their knee, there is disappointment but there is no surprise.
