Why does allison schmitt have a speech impediment

In early , she started seeing a psychologist, but it was the beginning of a very difficult and emotional year. That May, her first cousin committed suicide — at just years-old. Schmitt said her cousin had everything going for her, she had just come back from visiting a Division 1 school. Find out! Schmitt's teammate and longtime friend Michael Phelps knew she was going through a tough time and tried to lend his support.

After realizing she couldn't go through it alone, and with the support of friends, family and her coach Bob Bowman, Schmitt was determined: She and Bowman made an agreement to take things day by day — which made Rio possible. Now she's going home with a silver medal. So if I can make them proud, if I can stand up there and finish Rio proudly, that is what will make me happy. That is what will cap off the past four years. IE 11 is not supported.

Schmitt, an eight-time Olympic medalist, has talked openly about battling depression. A conversation with her good friend Phelps in January was a turning point, she said in an interview with Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press.

She began undergoing therapy with a psychologist, and in the leadup to her third Olympics, Schmitt spoke about her depression in interviews. Schmitt, who will turn 27 in June, has encouraged others to get help.

Phelps and Schmitt are not the first athletes to participate in the event. And yet there she was a year later, quietly sobbing in the closet of her room at the University of Georgia, hiding from friends while wondering where all the happiness in her life had gone. She just knew something was wrong — and getting worse. And the best way Schmitt can do that, she decided, after two years of silent agony and months of therapy, is by talking about her own battle with depression, raising awareness as a mental-health advocate in the hopes that she can save someone else.

Because there is a huge stigma that comes with mental health in sport. She led a dominant U. Rather than addressing it, she instead started isolating herself. Phone calls went unanswered — texts make it easier to hide emotions. One day, it was the wrong flavor sport drink in her water bottle that set her off.

The next, who knows? The endorsement deal she signed with Adidas was a relief, but also another burden. The post-Olympic blues are not unusual for athletes, who often struggle in the vacuum that follows the buildup as the regimented schedule gives way to uncertainty. Schmitt finally found the emergency break in January at a meet in Austin, Texas, after listlessly swimming her program. It was just like word vomit. They just listened to me.