“How on earth could he be depressed?” Why footballers can hit rock bottom.

Posted by Nell Mead at 15:15 on 8 Dec 2011

Victory's performance psychologist Dr Victor Thompson was recently asked by Channel 4 to comment on the death of ex-Wales football international and Wales football team manager Gary Speed, who was found hanged at his home on 27 November.  Here, Victor reflects further on the factors that can send sportsmen into depression.

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The tragic news towards the end of November that Gary Speed had hung himself sent shockwaves through the football world and beyond. I have been asked to comment in the media on why a man with so much going for him would choose to end his own life. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to make any sense. Why would a man with a lovely wife, two young children, a multi-million pound house, a highly valued job, support from fans, a successful track record as a player and now as a manager, choose to end his life?

While I do not know details of Gary Speed’s life, his suicide does echo the story of Robert Enke, a goalkeeper, who played for various European teams as well as the German squad in Euro 2008. In November 2009, aged 32, Enke committed suicide when he stood in front of a train at a level crossing. He left a suicide note. Later, his widow revealed that her husband had been suffering from depression since 2003 and was treated by a psychiatrist. During this period his daughter, Lara, died of a heart defect and he struggled to cope with this loss. Enke’s story has been captured by his friend Ronaldo Deng, in the excellent book, A life too short.

Here are some stark statistics on the extent of the problem:

• Depression is common, affecting 8-12% of the population each year.
• It is more commonly diagnosed in women, but that may be mainly due to women being more likely to present for help and that doctors spot the signs in women.
• Suicide is the most common cause of death in men under 35 years of age.
• Approximately 5,500 people in the UK die from suicide each year.
• Men are three times as likely than women to die by suicide.

With professional football, we see players performing on the pitch or under the spotlight. There are pressures within the game, with struggles to gain and maintain form, challenges when out with injury. There can be difficulties with teammates and management. Critical ‘fans’ and comments in the media. Everyone seems to have an opinion on their performance.

Outside football these players can experience what anyone else can: problems at home, difficult relationships, loved ones who fall ill or other misfortune.

Then these players might have been on a likely path to experience psychological difficulties anyway, whether they were to grow up to become a footballer, tennis player, shop worker or unemployed. For instance, perhaps they were always an anxious child or someone who lacked self-belief.

A problem with depression is that when a person is struggling the most, when they would benefit most from help, they are least likely to reach out for help. The person’s outlook on life and the future is normally very bleak – pointless, hopeless, without change. At this point, suicide can become entertained as a way to stop the suffering or to solve the problem.

However, it doesn’t have to be this way: effective treatments exist for depression which can bring about improvements within days or a few weeks. I see sports and non-sports people every week, helping them to reclaim their life from the darkness of depression.