Lindsey Vonn Talks Normalizing Mental Health Struggles: 'There's Nothing Wrong with Me'

In the new limited series, Deadline: Special Report, the Olympic skier opens up to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace about her mental health

Lindsey Vonn's personal mental health journey has inspired her to continue speaking up about the nation's mental health crisis.

The Olympic gold medalist, who first went public about her decades-long battle with depression to PEOPLE in 2012, is getting candid about normalizing conversations about mental health, specifically among athletes.

Vonn, 37, is among several stars to appear on Deadline: Special Report, a new limited series featuring interviews and reporting on America's Mental Health Emergency, alongside host MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace.

On the show, the World Champion skier revealed why she was originally hesitant to seek professional help with her depression.

"I really only went to the doctor because a friend of mine had been diagnosed with depression and had really similar symptoms. I went in like, 'I'm just gonna get this done with so I can confirm that I'm fine. Everything's fine. There's nothing wrong with me,' " Vonn told Wallace.

"And I was diagnosed with depression and given medication and I still resisted therapy because I still thought there was nothing wrong with me. And there is nothing wrong with me. There's nothing wrong with me!" she said.

Lindsey Vonn. Michael Loccisano/WireImage

"There is such a huge stigma around it, especially in sports," the athlete added. "It's viewed as you can't be a strong athlete if you're depressed. You can't be strong and have weakness."

Vonn, the most decorated female skier of all time, praised other athletes who have helped normalize conversations about mental health, including Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, and Kevin Love.

She also admitted that she's able to stay positive about her mental health struggles by remembering her late mother, Lindy Anne Lund, who died in August after a one-year battle with ALS.

"When she was diagnosed with ALS, she was very sad obviously, it's terminal. She cried and then the next day she said, 'Today is another great day,'" Vonn explained. "And every day since then she said, 'Today is gonna be a great day.' "

"She was dying and she was positive," she continued. "When you think about your own struggles, I'm like how could I not be positive? How could I look at the bright side of everything like my mother did? Because if she can see it, then I certainly can."

In addition to Vonn, the limited series also features conversations surrounding mental health with Taraji P. Henson, Rosie Perez, and more.

Deadline: Special Report is streaming now on the MSNBC Hub on Peacock.