Written by Rachel Frain, USC blog contributorVictoria Garrick is the starting libero for the USC women's volleyball team, a rising junior and a broadcast and digital journalism student. Garrick also has major depressive disorder, single episode, with anxious features. This April, Garrick took the opportunity to share her experience at the TEDxUSC event, which featured speakers from all walks of life within the Trojan community.
"I'm a big advocate for being an open book," Garrick said prior to her TED Talk. "I think the more we can all talk about our problems, the better our world is going to be. So many people go through things and they just hide it."
In August of 2016, Garrick was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, something she realized she had been fighting for far too long.
"I started to become overwhelmed with my schedule, performing well, being on one of the best teams in the country, and that all sort of came at me so fast and because of that, I developed my own anxiety issues," said Garrick.
Though her experience as a student-athlete at USC seemed like too much to handle at first, Garrick acknowledged that the program was also fundamental in helping her heal. In fact, the USC Athletic Department has the largest and most integrated sport psychology program in the country. Through team psychologists and support from fellow student-athletes, Garrick is seeking the help she needs.
But the fight for Garrick doesn't end here. Now that she's sparked the conversation about mental health in athletes, she next seeks to tackle body positivity, which she wrote about on National Girls & Women in Sports Day, and the misuse of social media.
"I just think Facetune, editing our bodies, following girls and looking at their pictures, then feeling bad about ourselves is just so negative," said Garrick. "Why was I looking at things every single day that made me feel bad about myself? I think it's so true especially at USC, that's a big thing that needs to change."
Watch Garrick's full speech, entitled "Athletes and Mental Health: The Hidden Opponent," here:
