Last fall, Young, a US Paralympic athlete, won the 200-meter T47 event at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. Three years earlier, before the Rio Paralympics, she attempted suicide.
Young told The National that pressure to perform well as a student athlete spiraled out of control. "I didn't talk to anyone and finally I broke, had a suicide attempt, and ended up in hospital. It was literally two months before the games and I had a decision to make to see whether I was strong enough to make it."
Young, now 23, went on to win two gold medals, and she said asking for help was the first step to recovery. She spent months before the 2016 Paralympics in a mental institution. She wrote in a recent essay for teamusa.org, "Depression is a constant battle within yourself and it feels like it is endless. It also feels like there is no chance of winning. I finally realized that I didn't have to lose. I realized that I don't have to let my depression take me away from everyday life."
