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Bodybuilders do tend to suffer from the feeling that they never look good enough or never "measure up." It's kind of an inherent way of thinking in the sport, it's what drives them to push harder past their perceived limits.
I say this with the utmost respect, but I do think therapy should be available to active and especially retired bodybuilders. I've seen too many take their own lives when they should have had someone there who could hear them out and understand what they were going through.
I think even more important than get professional help - which I would consider the beginning of the downfall of the sport if you have a psychologist around all the time - is, that channels to the outside world open up way more as it is now.
Especially when it is getting close to competition, the athletes start to isolate themselves to the point, where nothing exists in this world but the own body. No more attention to family and friends, even the partner gets ignored which often leads to breakup and isolates them even more. In many cases there is also this over-criticality, that seems to be more inherent to women than men, the insta pages give a good feeling for whats going on inside them.
I understand that it is extremely difficult for them to open up to others outside the community because it is such an extreme sport and always on the edge of legality, but this should be the way to go forward, and thats what the bb officials should start to take serious (rather then pushing them even more into isolation).
One of the things I always encourage the athletes is to put offseason pictures on social media. The "perfect shape" is result of hard work and made for the moment, and shouldnt haunt them all year round.
IFBB Figure Pro passes away, Stacey Cummings.
Really sad.