"I broke down at that moment"- When Allison Schmitt recalled Michael Phelps' support during emotional first-time admission of mental health struggles

Alisson Schmitt once revealed that she realized she was struggling with mental health issues, with the help of Michael Phelps, who had been going through similar struggles at the time. Schmitt and Phelps have a staggering 38 Olympic medals between them.

Phelps took retirement from swimming following the 2012 London Olympics and fell into depression. It became severe in 2014 when he began experiencing suicidal thoughts and was subsequently charged with a DUI (Driving Under the Influence) arrest.

Phelps would then start his road to recovery with over a month-long stay in a treatment center and later help his friend Schmitt realize she was going through similar issues.

"The coolest part about the friendship is he's always there but never pushing anything on me and that takes me back to 2015. He had gone through legal trouble and had gone through his own mental health, I guess this was 2014, I think 2014, and he noticed that I was struggling, and instead of nagging me, he just told me he was there for me," she said about her conversation with Michael Phelps on The Shift Podcast [20:43 onwards]

"I remember him so calmly saying to me at one point hey Schmitty what's going on is there something I can help with or is there somewhere that can I get you thelp and that was the first time I admitted that I needed help and I broke down at that moment it was like yeah I too need help I don't know what that looks like, but yes I do need help," she added.

Schmitt and Phelps competed together at the 216 Rio Olympics and won two and six medals, respectively. While Phelps retired following the Games, Schmitt went on to win two more medals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Michael Phelps reveals the first time he encountered post-Olympic depression

Michael Phelps at the WM Phoenix Open 2025 - Previews - Source: Getty

Speaking in an interview with NBC News in 2014, Michael Phelps revealed that the first time he encountered post-Olympic depression was following the 2004 Athen Olympics, where he won a staggering eight medals after going medal-less on his debut four years ago.

“I would say probably 2004," Michael Phelps said. "2004 was my first taste of post-Olympic depression, you know, coming off such a high. It’s basically… you get to like the edge of a cliff, like ‘Cool now what? Oh, I guess I've got to wait four more years to have the chance to do it again."

The Baltimore Bullet's second experience (depression) came after the 2008 Olympics when he became the first person to win eight Olympic gold medals in a single edition.

"2008 was my second taste of post-Olympic depression because coming off that high after doing something you set out to do your whole entire life,” Michael Phelps mentioned.

Phelps finished his career with a record 28 medals that included 23 golds, making him the most decorated in history, and perhaps the greatest Olympian in history too.