This is a topic that I rarely discuss, especially online, but some of the opinions that I saw expressed recently completely astounded and infuriated me.
I'm not a major sports fan at all (I didn't even watch the Super Bowl), but I noticed a headline listed on CNN to its Sports Illustrated section -- one of the Oakland Raiders' players apparently had some kind of personal crisis develop related to ongoing depression in the days just before the Super Bowl. He disappeared for a full day (over Friday and Saturday) and was pulled from the lineup on Saturday night. (This article provides some details, though not everything has been released to the public at this point.)
At the bottom of the page, there's a list of links to previous articles on the same topic. There was one that caught my eye: "Robbins' Teammates Unforgiving". This article was published three days before the specifics about a problem with depression apparently were published by the news, but the attitude of those players was mind-boggling if they had some idea of the problems he faces.
Even worse, after reading a third article, it's becoming apparent that at least some of the players WERE aware of Robbins' problems:
quote:On Sunday night Raiders guard Mo Collins was asked whether he would have more compassion for Robbins if he knew that Robbins was suffering from an illness. "Like what?" Collins answered. "Bad tequila?" Source article (scroll down about halfway)
The ignorance and callousness here is absolutely astounding. I admit that I personally was not aware of the consequences and effects of the condition(s) -- or even the nature itself -- when I was younger, but I was still basically a kid.
These, instead, are adults -- presumed to be reasonably intelligent and knowledgeable about real-world situations. In the second article I linked to above, the teammates spoke of being a "family"... and yet one of them has the nerve to so heartlessly dismiss the problems that one of his "family" members is facing. Certainly, football is a "macho" type of sport with intense competition... but it seems that if anyone were even partially aware of the problem, then they should at least KNOW a little about what that problem is, and why it is.
This series of articles has made me think about just what people believe about the illness of depression, and how they treat people who must deal with it. In case no one guessed by now based on my attitude in the preceding paragraphs, I myself have suffered from serious and recurring clinical depression. At one point about two years ago, I was forced to withdraw from college and return home for treatment. I was placed in a day program at a hospital near my home on two occasions for about three weeks each time, and today I continue to take medication to help control the neurochemical imbalances that cause depression.
Up until now, I've felt very self-conscious about my condition, because it is an intensely personal issue. Perhaps part of that was my depressed attitude trying to minimize the nature of my problem, or to hide my "failings" from as many people as possible. But though that is probably a natural human instinct to get some kind of (perceived?) protection, I'm wondering if it also serves to only reinforce some false perceptions from others about the nature of depression.
I'd like to ask: How do you view the condition of depression, and people who suffer from it? Why? I hope my somewhat ranting diatribe doesn't turn people who have different opinions off -- I'd prefer honest opinions to silence here... partially because I think that silence might be part of the problem. I don't intend to flame anyone who challenges my view here... provided it's presented in a reasonably civilized manner. (I decided to post this topic on the Flameboard, though, because of its relatively sensitive nature anyway.)
Thanks. Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
Depression is an illness. It can be treated. It's not some kind of weakness. There is nothing 'wrong' with people who have it. I think one of the main problems that people have with depression is that it is still associated with mental illness and the stigma that carries, mainly among the poorly educated. And let's face it, most sportsmen arevnot exactly Nobel Prize material.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
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