Depression in sport

by Atit Patel

To the watching public, sports stars seem to have it all: fame, fortune and the adulation of thousands, even the adulation of nations. And yet, sometimes all is not what it seems.

By nature they deal with enormous amounts of pressure associated with being the best. They deal with high expectation from all quarters – from the crowd, coaches, and even themselves. And while most deal with this emotional and psychological pressure, sadly there are those who don’t.

Robert Enke was one such person who couldn’t cope. On November 10 last year, shocking headlines appeared across Europe telling of Hanover 96 and German international goalkeeper Robert Enke’s suicide at the age of 32.

To many who read in disbelief, they could not understand what would drive this top flight international footballer with a wife and family to take such desperate measures.

Largely misunderstood

Sadly, Enke had suffered from depression since 2003 – a disorder largely misunderstood and dismissed in a macho sporting world. As a result, his death has sparked other sport stars to come clean about their problems; athletes like Kelly Holmes, Marcus Trescothick and Serena Williams have all spoken about their illness.

In the aftermath of Enke’s death, BBC’s Inside Sport featured a special episode looking first hand into the illness.

One thing that was particularly surprising was how many sports athletes remain silent and ashamed of the condition, and it is only now that depression is an issue openly discussed in the sporting media.

The thing about depression is it takes many forms, from bipolar disorder to the most common one called major depressive disorder, otherwise known as depression.

Symptoms can range from sadness, feeling useless, hopeless, being easily irritable, having a poor appetite and generally losing an interest in activities. This reality was highlighted perfectly by Enke’s therapist, Valentin Markser, who told reporters: “He (Enke) suffered from fear of failure.”

What pushed Enke to the brink will never be totally clear, but it was believed he never fully recovered from losing his two-year-old daughter in 2006 to a rare heart condition.

He also chose to keep his disorder a secret for years, out of fear of losing his newly adopted daughter. What is clear is that many people forget that sports stars are human and have lives outside of the game, and that family is important in shaping an athlete’s mind.

Effects of family life

Andy Barton, sports psychologist from The Sporting Mind, told Arts London News: “It can be fantastic or it can be awful, depends on the family life it can put things in perspective, you can brush all kinds of things off if you get the support, but if you don’t, it can be very lonely. Young performers seem to have everything but it can alienate, being like that, it can be quite lonely.”

There are sports stars out there who have had to deal with divorces or even death.

Serena Williams suffered a slump in form and bouts of depression after her eldest sister Yetunde was killed in 2003. Williams said: "It was a real dark period in my life. I went through depression. I never even talked about it to my Mom. No one knew I was in therapy, but I was. I was so close to my sister."

For a sports star, pressure builds up to create stress. Elements such as losing matches, self-performance and physical demands can make any athlete falter.

England cricketer, Marcus Trescothick, struggled a lot to cope with the workload his game demanded from him.

First noticing it during the tour of India in 2006, Trescothick said: “I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat properly, I couldn't drink and, obviously, being in India that was a big problem. It quickly manifested itself after two or three days, after telling someone, ‘I can't stay here any longer.’ My first reaction was, ‘I’m ill, I've got cancer or something.’ ”

According to Andy Barton: “With someone like Marcus Trescothick it isn’t necessarily sport that is causing it, it’s more of a trigger – it’s the stress that comes from the sport that actually triggers the depression, so playing for England especially away from home for him was that trigger.”

Keeping depression a secret

British boxer Frank Bruno was another star made to feel weak from the disorder. When he was sectioned in September 2003, the media had a field day and they exploited the illness as a frailty or a joke.

They played on Bruno’s brute masculinity and turned his depression into a weakness. The Sun, in 2003 ran with a front-page headline stating ‘Bonkers Bruno Locked Up’, which demonstrates exactly what sports professionals have to endure.

As Trescothick and Bruno’s examples reveal, it comes as no surprise why so many keep the illness hidden for fear of mockery. Just to hear the accounts of athletes private lives and their troubles is always fascinating – especially as we tend to put them on pedestals.

Double gold medallist Kelly Holmes used to cut herself over frustrating injuries and why Marcus Trescothick could not play in crucial tests.

What many people forget is that even though athletes are physically strong, they are also human beings and feel emotion. And through cases like Robert Enke’s, hopefully the sporting world will finally understand that depression is a serious matter.