5 Things "Ted Lasso" Got Right About Mental Health

There have been many instances of poor or harmful media depictions of mental health. But this is not the case with the Apple TV Show, Ted Lasso. Let's discuss some specific moments when the series got it right about mental health.

1. Be a Goldfish. Ted shares some genuinely sound pieces of advice as he coaches his team. Among these is that the happiest animal in the world is a goldfish because its 10-second memory forces it to be in the present. After a bitter loss, he acknowledges the need to grieve with others, and then recommends that they all "be a goldfish." Allowing for our emotions, sharing emotions, and reconnecting with the present through mindfulness are three healthy strategies for coping.

2. The Depiction of a Panic Attack. Midway through the series, Ted begins to experience panic attacks. It is incredibly challenging to illustrate the innermost experience of a panic attack. Still, with shaky hands, sweating, fears of going crazy, and an urge to run, Ted shows a compassionate and accurate demonstration. He also models reaching out for help and working through his anxiety.

3. Plan, Plan, Plan, Plan. Semantic satiation, or the phenomenon wherein a word loses its meaning when said repeatedly, is sometimes advantaged in psychotherapies for anxiety, like Acceptance Commitment Therapy to help someone defuse a worry that has taken front and center stage (Luoma et al., 2007). While Ted doesn't call it a "coping skill," he practices the strategy several times throughout the series when he is working through stressful situations; for example, when discussing with Rebecca his plans for working with then-disruptive player Jamie Tartt, whom he had had to bench, finding himself repeating "plan" over and over until, as referenced by coach Beard in a separate episode, the words became a sound.

4. Family Dynamics and Trauma. Ted once said, "You know, I hear Bono's father was a real piece of work. But then again, so was Joshua Tree, so you know?"

Trauma and family dynamics are sketched throughout the series, be it in Jamie Tartt weathering his father's abusive words, or in Nathan Shelley's march to gain admiration from his generally supportive parents. Most raw, however, is the presentation of coping with severe familial trauma, such as Ted's loss of his father to suicide, repressed anger at how his mother coped, secondary anxiety, and healing. The arc of Ted's character facing these shadows with some help through psychotherapy is authentic. Similarly, Rebecca Welton's family dynamics in confronting her mother after her father's death about his cheating is a fair depiction of a genuine moment of family healing.

5. When a Panic Attack was Called Food Poisoning. After a panic attack led Ted to flee during a game, he told the media that he had experienced food poisoning. The unearned shame many feel surrounding mental health conditions like anxiety. The reality is that many are still more comfortable talking about physical health than mind matters. Yet, Ted turns it around when the truth comes to light, and approaches the media wanting to talk about how mental health is talked about in sports. Through rejecting stigma and embracing courage, Ted can be open about his grapples, offering proof that even the strongest and most sincere among us can suffer.

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