Two-time Olympian Aly Raisman visits Lincoln to talk about mental health

LINCOLN Neb. (KLKN) — Aly Raisman, a two-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medalist, spoke in front of a couple thousand people Thursday at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church.

Raisman was invited to Lincoln by Bryan Health for Mental Health Awareness Week, in hopes of helping people who might be struggling with their mental health.

“If we normalize the conversation around depression and anxiety, kids will feel comfortable talking to their friends before they compete and say, ‘I’m nervous,’ and their friends say, ‘I’m nervous, too,’ then they talk about it and they realize it’s normal,” Raisman said.

In 2017, Raisman was one of several women who came forward about sexual assault allegations against disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar.

Raisman now travels the country sharing her mental health story with others; she wants to end the stigma on receiving treatment for mental health.

David Miers, Bryan Health’s director of behavioral health, said more and more athletes are speaking out about their mental health.

“And that’s really neat to see because it’s been stigmatized for way too long,” he said.