Tyler Hilinski: Mental Health Awareness In Athletes

Tyler Hilinski was a football quarterback at Washington State. He was recruited from his high school in California by many universities and he was excited to have chosen Washington State.  There he excelled and seemed to love the game as he always had in his younger years.  Friends and teammates talked about his happiness and constant smile.  But on January 16, 2018 Tyler did not show up for the team’s afternoon weight lifting session.  That was odd because he had showed up for the 7 a.m. practice.  It was on that day that 21 year old Tyler Hilinski committed suicide by a head wound from a rifle.  He had taken the rifle from a teammate who was not aware that it was missing. 

The news was devastating for all of his friends and family.  His family said that he showed no signs of depression.  However, they found out that Tyler had the degenerative brain condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE at the time of his death. According to the Indiana University School of Medicine, CTE is a progressive degenerative disease affecting people who have suffered repeated concussions and traumatic brain injuries that may occur in some athletes and others who have been exposed to concussions and repetitive head impacts.

Tyler Hilinski’s family agreed to give the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota Tyler’s brain for an autopsy.  They found out that the tau protein in Tyler’s brain represented a person who was much older as opposed to a 21 year old such as Tyler.  One hypothesis is that repeated injuries to the brain cause a buildup of an abnormal form of the tau protein which may interfere with the function of the brain’s neurons.  Some of the symptoms seen in CTE include erratic behavior, suicidal tendencies, memory loss, aggression, impaired judgement, difficulty controlling impulses, confusion, depression, anxiety, trouble sleeping, dizziness and balance issues.

After Tyler’s death, his parents, Mark and Kym Hilinski, started the Hilinski’s Hope Foundation.  It is a non-profit organization that promotes awareness and education of mental health and wellness for student athletes.  The more that people know about mental health issues, the more they can help others around them.  The foundation helps colleges and universities save lives, eliminate stigma, and scale mental wellness programs for student athletes.

For more information visit: https://www.hilinskishope.org/