"They pretended like everything was okay" – Michael Phelps opens up about breaking generational family silence on mental health

Former swimmer Michael Phelps recently shared a strong message on the importance of talking about mental health issues and how families tend to stay away from discussing the issue. Phelps, who retired from competitive swimming in 2016, has become a vocal advocate for mental health and even discussed how he struggled with depression for many years during his career. He has discussed his journey on many occasions and campaigned for people to discuss their problems.

Michael Phelps is considered one of the greatest swimmers of all time. Phelps established himself at the 2004 Athens Olympics, where he won an impressive six gold medals, earning him a reputation as one of the world's best swimmers. He would go on to become the most decorated Olympic athlete in history, winning a total of 28 Olympic medals. He retired after the Rio Olympics in 2016, where he won five gold medals to pull the curtain on his career in memorable fashion.

In a post on Instagram, Phelps discussed the impact of families not discussing mental health in a podcast with "A Safe Pool" and their owner, Tonja Howard. He said:

"You have to make that generational shift. You know, like my mom and her mom and their moms, or their parents, never talked about these things, right? They meant to put this front up, and they pretended like everything was okay, when in reality, that's not real, not knocking them like no harm, but it's just real."

"You know, if we truly want to talk about it and make that change, then we have to address these things, and we have to be vulnerable and that's something that's scary for a lot of people. Becoming vulnerable and opening up and talking about the struggles that I was going through wasn't something that was easy," he added.

Michael Phelps also has his own foundation, known as the Michael Phelps Foundation, which he uses as a platform to discuss issues such as mental health.

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Michael Phelps makes feelings known on the current state of USA Swimming

Phelps at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps recently expressed his views on the current state of USA Swimming. In a post on Instagram, Phelps released a statement where he said:

“I’ve asked myself what’s changed in our sport and the answer is clear. This isn’t on the athletes as they continue to do the best they can with what they’ve been given. This is on the leadership of USA Swimming. Poor leadership trickles down and can impact an organization at every level.”

Phelps also added that he was told to be grateful for the chance to compete and not highlight any issues to "keep the peace".