BATON ROUGE - LSU has enlisted the help of mental health professionals to make their athletes as strong psychologically as they are physically. 

Dr. Lakeitha Poole, Assistant Athletic Director of Psychology and Counseling, works with collegiate and professional athletes, training them to perform better mentally. She says now more than ever athletes need mental health support.

“So many things go through any athlete's head the night before a game, whether it's the first one of the season or the last,” Poole said.

LSU has more than 500 athletes and Poole counsels and trains many of them mentally.

“Mental performance work is training your brain to perform better in your sport," she said.

Dr. Poole says athletes are facing totally different obstacles than their predecessors ten years ago. On top of being students and athletes, many are their own business managers — making money off their name, image and likeness.

"They have to get their degrees. They have to be at their practice. They have to do weights, but now you have NIL in the mix and opportunities for them to be business professionals, whether they saw it that way or not."

The unique challenges also hit athletes at pivotal times in their lives. Dr. Poole says from 18 to 25, young adults are more likely to experience changes affecting overall mental wellbeing.

“It’s just the developmental stage where our brains are wired. We're more likely to experience our first panic attack or our first time with a bought of depression,” Poole said. “The irony is that it's happening at the exact same time when folks are learning how to balance their checkbooks and have roommates.”