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rofessional sportsmen and women seem to
have it all: money, fame and the adoration of
millions.
A rash of suicides amongst professionals has once again shown
that a successful life in sports is no guarantee to happiness: in
fact, the glare of public exposure can make things worse for people
prone to depression. NHL player Rick Rypien is one of the most
recent victims of depression, and after a long battle with the illness,
committed suicide.
Depression is reported to affect
about 10% of the population at
some stage of their lives, but
some have a more pronounced
disposition to the illness.
Alarmingly, depression could
affect “up to 25% of female
athletes and 12% of male
athletes”, according to one
study. (Wesley, 2002, pg 56).
Noamount ofmoney or fame can
counteract the terrible feelings
of loneliness and despondency
that can grip them. In fact, the
world of sport could be making things worse for those afflicted.
In a Fox News report by Reid Forgrave, Dr. Donald Malone of the
Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Neurological Restoration claims that
sport does not take depression seriously enough.
“It’s pretty much swept under carpet,” said Malone. “Somebody
like an elite-level athlete, they’re feeling depressed, and they think,
‘Why? Nothing should be making me depressed!’ And they get
even harder on themselves. So they don’t seek help: ‘What’s the
matter with you? You have the perfect life, you’re making millions!’
And so they go on and on, and they’re less likely to seek help than
the general population.”
Along with the bubble of luxury and adulation comes the inevitable
falls. Injury and poor form can be very confronting to a professional
athlete. Long term injuries strip a player of their role in the team,
even their identity, while a drop in form often brings on a backlash
from the press and fans. The player, often coddled and worshiped,
often feels this change acutely.
The context of sports can be crippling to those suffering from
depression, even outside of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” cone of
silence.
Famously, when Stan Collymore, the English footballer –then of
Aston Villa - sought help for his feelings of depression, his manager
chastised him on national television, relaying the message that
football was a man’s sport, and men should get on with playing.
One particularly poignant story of a footballer who took his own life
due to depression is that of the German goalkeeper Robert Enke.
His biography by Ronald Reng, A Life Too Short, paints a picture
of a man who was so skilled at keeping his depression a secret
that most people were completely shocked by his suicide in 2009.
Such was his fear of not being “normal” that he suffered almost
completely in silence. Widely tipped to be the next keeper for the
national team, he ended his
life at 32.
In the aftermath of the
suicide, Theo Zwanziger
- president of the German
football association- asked
the question that many were
thinking: “How is it possible
that a young successful
footballer can get into a
position where he sees no
way out? Could we have
seen it coming? Should we
have dug deeper, beyond
the surface? No one had any
idea.”
Perhaps if depression was a more socially accepted illness, stories
like Enke’s would occur less frequently. Sport should be able to
transcend these stigmas, indeed, such is the profile of most sports
personalities that they are beginning to become role models for
dealing with depression.
England Test Batsman Marcus Trescothick is one of sport’s highest
profile sufferers, and his autobiography helps to bring his message
to the public. During one particularly bad period, he claims that “I
considered hurting myself to show people how much pain I was in”.
He is now in control of the illness, but he still gets affected by it and
constantly battles against feelings of terror.
Former All Black winger John Kirwan has done much to help people
who also suffer from the illness. During an awareness campaign
in 2005 a “guy came up beside me in a suit and he said: ‘I’m an
accountant, I’m 35. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. Thank you very
much,’ and walked away.
“I was stunned but I thought, ‘if I can help one person, what’s the
real risk?’”
Kirwin and Trescothick are two examples of sport professionals who
have stared the black dog down. With a more open understanding
of depression, perhaps we will see fewer suicides in the future.
Depression in Sport
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