Questioning depression in sport – the wrong end of the stick

With a number of top sports men and women admitting they suffer from depression it is becoming an increasing challenge to help the general public understand how and why it affects these athletes. The likes of Serena Williams, Kelly Homes, Frank Bruno, Marcus Trescothick and of course the tragic tale of Robert Enke have all increased the public awareness of depression within sport but can this provide a catalyst for the improvement of actually understanding depression?

Today it has been announced that Micheal Yardy has left the ICC Cricket World Cup due to suffering from depression. Following comments from some public figures it would appear that there is a clear misunderstanding of the prevalence of the condition within sport. One common theme that is emerging is people questioning how these sports people earning x amount a week and playing / winning at the top level can succumb to the symptoms of this mental illness. But being successful, earning large amounts of money and playing sport for a living doesn’t mean that these individuals are immune to depression. It has been noted by some individuals that it is Yardy’s poor form that has caused this depression. This is not how depression works. When you have depression it affects all part of your life. It is a mental illness and it can affect you in any circumstance whether you’re playing in a World Cup for your country or not.

The symptoms of depression not only manifest themselves in an individual’s demeanour but also in changes to the brain. Numerous studies have now shown that there are changes in hormones and to the physical structure of the brain in sufferers of depression, proving that depression is not just about being “down”.

Image of  positron emission tomography scans comparing a normal brain with that of someone with a depressed mental disorder, demonstrating physical differences in the brains of sufferers of depression.

I work with a couple of young athletes who suffer from a varying degree of the illness and it is indeed hard to manage their expectations, demeanour and general functioning. It is a challenge to help them develop techniques that can help with their sporting performance. Considering they are in a high pressure environment I take my hat off to them as to how they deal with the condition.

Just because top athletes require a mental strength to compete at that level does not mean depression is less prevalent in sports people. Instead, prevalence is likely to be just as high in other groups as in elite sport.  As soon as the public can understand that top sports people are not immune and it is no longer a shock when an athlete admits they suffer from depression then the more support sports people and others can receive to help them deal with the illness.

Best wishes go out to Micheal Yardy who’s decision to leave the World Cup early must have been very difficult, to his family and to all other individuals who suffer from depression, also.

Advertisement