Mental Health Talk with Figure Skater Mirai Nasagu

We are so excited to share that our collaborating faculty Dr. Mai Uchida has invited Mirai Nagasu, an Olympic Medalist in figure skating, to engage in a conversation where she shares her personal stories of her successful career as well as the little-known mental health struggles she went through. With the hope to bring people’s attention to youth’s mental health, we are making an educational video series based on the talk and will soon hold a launch event for the series release. Here is a behind the scene interview with Dr. Uchida. Read on to see her story and why she made this video series!

Meet Dr. Mai Uchida

Hi Everyone, I’m Dr. Mai Uchida, the Director of the Child Depression Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I help children, adolescents and adults who struggle with various mental health challenges such as low mood, anxiety, or problems with attention. I also run a brain science research program that examines brain development in children who are at risk for mood disorders. I recently gave birth to our third son (in February 2021), and as a mother of 3 amazing boys, my commitment to the mental health of youth is not only professional but deeply personal as well.

You were the youngest Japanese doctor ever to work in the U.S. What can you tell us about your youth?

When I started my residency at Yale over a decade ago, I became the youngest Japanese medical school graduate ever to work in the US as a practicing physician. As such, I am familiar with how wonderful but also difficult it can be to achieve early in life, and the pressures of being expected to be more mature than your actual age. I am proud how I rapidly grew to achieve the knowledge and professionalism I needed to become an effective doctor, but looking back, there was plenty of hardship involved in the process, and many times where I wished that I had more support. 

Not only was I very young, but I was also a foreign doctor who was not educated in this new culture or language. I was surrounded by older American doctors who did not have to overcome these cultural barriers. I had a hard time juggling the two cultures: while I logically knew that the American culture expected junior individuals to speak up and take initiative, it was hard to negotiate this in my mind as someone who was raised in the Japanese culture that valued junior doctors following orders from superiors without questioning them. Therefore, I had a difficult time judging how much of myself -- such as my personality, my thought process, and my ideas -- I was allowed to bring into each professional situation, and how to effectively advocate for myself. Despite these hardships, I also have many proud memories of how much I handled and how much I rapidly grew on my own at such a young age. 

You were a figure skater, too?

Yes! Before I went to medical school and became a child psychiatrist, I was a very low level amateur figure skater in Japan and I continue to be a die-hard fan of the sport. I am so excited to partner with Mirai to discuss the topic of mental health associated with elite athletes who are competing for the podium and are expected to perform at such a young age.

It is important for all of us who love, support, and work with these young people to be aware of and understand the reality of their mental health.

How did this project with Mirai start?

Mirai and I met at a skating rink in Boston and we hit it off with our shared Japanese/ American bi-cultural background and love for skating. I invited her to join me to speak at a Harvard/MIT Japanese Women’s Roundtable event. Our interview at the event was initially focused on just Mirai’s athletic career, but the conversation naturally turned to the themes of mental health highlighting both her struggles and her resilience. Everyone was moved by Mirai’s courage and honesty. After this talk, Mirai and I decided to partner to amplify her voice to advocate for mental health awareness.

Why did you make this video?

Mirai and I did this interview to shine light on the mental health of the youth, especially athletes and prodigies performing at the highest levels, because this isn’t talked about nearly enough and because its impacts cannot be addressed if these concerns stay in the dark. 

We have enthusiastic fans and supporters who forget that these athletes are just kids, who are literally being judged in front of the entire world, and are watched and commented on while they react to how they’ve been judged. They are dealing with financial burdens of the sport, relocation, and needing to carry the pressure of so many people’s investments as they compete. At the same time, their brains are still in development and so are their perspectives on life.

While the adults who have a stake and responsibility over these athletes such as coaches and the federation are in s position to protect them and support them, over the past years, we’ve seen more than a few examples of abuse of this power in the form of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Particularly, the sport of gymnastics recently had a very public event where hundreds of traumatized girls courageously spoke up. I admire these women, and their voices make it clear that this situation has to change - not only for gymnasts but for athletes and women everywhere

For each story of depression, there are thousands more that are untold. Mirai and I wanted to discuss her mental struggles as an elite athlete to let kids know that they are not alone and that there are ways of getting help to feel better. We also hope that adults watching this will have an opportunity to think about how best to provide perspective and support for these amazing kids who are doing their best.

Mirai’s story is so powerful, because it shows that she is a human, and thankfully one who sought out help when she needed it. We see her resilience in terms of being able to move forward after a major disappointment and ultimately landing the triple axel at the Olympics. We learn about her post-competition life where she engaged in therapy and worked toward finding out who she is not only as a skater, but also as a fully rounded human being.

We hope this speaks to you!

Click here to check out the video series!

To register for the free LIVE event with Mirai, please visit here.