Travis Gerrits

• Gerrits was diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder after competing at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. He disclosed the diagnosis publicly in a Facebook video in 2017 and later said that bringing the diagnosis into the open helped him accept it. [3][2]

• After the 2014 Olympics, Gerrits said he began falling into a depressive state while trying to return to training. He described having experienced similar periods on and off for years. [2]
• He has said that his bipolar disorder often occurred in roughly three-week periods of severe highs and lows, moving between manic and depressive episodes. He said this made training and competing more difficult. [2]

• Gerrits received support from specialized sports psychologists and has used medication and therapy while managing bipolar disorder and continuing his athletic career. [2]

• Gerrits began speaking publicly about bipolar disorder and mental health in the hope of encouraging other people to seek help. He has emphasized that a diagnosis should not prevent someone from continuing to set goals. [3][2]

“For me, bringing it to the forefront has helped not only other people, but myself accept the diagnosis.”

— Travis Gerrits [3]