Olympic gold medalists Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt have been invited to speak in Washington on Thursday as part of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day.
The swimmers are honorary chairpersons of the event, which is hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Schmitt, an eight-time Olympic medalist, has talked openly about battling depression. While training for the Rio Olympics, Schmitt, from Canton, Mich., has said she felt like she had failed. A conversation with her good friend Phelps in January 2015 was a turning point, she said in an interview with Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press.