Depression - A player's story

[seafoid]

I had a meeting two days ago with someone who is in the depths of depression and has attempted to take their own life on two occasions in recent months. It really is a dark, dark place and I'm not sure what words you can say to help someone in that frame of mind along.
Some of the descriptions were harrowing. They talked about the feeling of making it out of their house. They equated it to what they'd imagine the feeling would be like to win an All-Ireland.

Depression is still rubbished in some people and certain places. It'll take time before that generation buy into the fact that it really does exist.

There is no point in saying "pull yourself together" but "take it slowly, one day at a time" and "be kind to yourself" work with some people.

[Lar Naparka]

Fair play to this young man for having the courage to speak publicly about his experiences. Hopefully this will inspire others who are suffering in silence to seek help.

I sincerely his story helps others to cope with depression and to understand that it's a medical problem and not is not brought on by a mental deficiency of any sort.
I also suffered from chronic depression and I know I was extremely lucky to pull through.
In my case, I knew in advance that I was going to get very depressed and was briefed by my GP that a bout would be the inevitable result of the brain aneurysm I had suffered the previous year and the savage bouts of epilepsy that followed on from it.
He couldn't understand how my brain had managed to cope with all the traumas to date I had gone through but warned me that it would, sooner or later, close down all but the core functions in order to a repair itself.
Well, he was right and when depression hit, I went through four months of absolute hell.
Only for the fact that I knew it was going to happen, I would not have survived.
Nobody around me had an idea of what I was going through and endless exhortations to pull myself together only made matters worse.
I lost three stones weight in the space of four months and felt I had nowhere to go and nobody to turn to. Life just didn't seem worth living anymore and I had to battle with suicidal feelings every hour of the day.
I snapped out of it fairly dramatically.
I had another epileptic seizure, at a time when I was feeling very low and once more I was knocked out for five or six hours.
I have been incredibly lucky one again to have been in company at the time it happened and when I woke up, I found I was in Beaumont A&E.
I never felt better!
Although I was black and blue all over from the restraints that were holding me down and faint with hunger and thirst, I knew the black mood had lifted.
I was told that the electrical brainstorm had reset the levels of melatonin and serotonin- somewhat similar to the electroshock therapy used to treat brain disorders. If the balance between those hormones is maladjusted, depression or elation is the likely end result.
I've had no problem with epilepsy or depression ever since.
Reading Alan's story, it struck me once again that people in general haven't a clue of what's going on in a sufferer's brain while in the grip of depression.
Well-meaning but fatuous attempts to buck a sufferer up have the opposite effect.
The condition is a medical one and something like a blow on the head or the stress of surgery can bring it on. Anybody can be affected.
I hope Alan makes a full recovery and is able to cope with the reservations of those who know of his illness. I am a much older man and I couldn't give a damn about what anybody has to say about my time in the horrors.
I know younger people find it harder to cope with snide remarks and double talk and unfortunately, many don't pull through.
I hope his story serves as an inspiration for others with this condition.

Very courageous of you to put that out there Lar. I would never have known the physical symptoms on the condition are that severe. You're obviously a very strong person to have survived it.

Thanks very much, Matt, for your kind comments and thanks also to everyone else who responded.
There are too many to reply to individually but I'm heartened to see that so many appreciate the difficulties that depression victims go through.
May the message continue to spread.
It didn't take courage to write what I did but it took a lot for Alan O'Mara to do the same.
I turned 64 today so I'm not worried about career prospects, exam results or the pressures that playing competitive football imposes on a young person who hasn't the life experience to cope with the terrible scourge of depression.  Besides, I am posting to an anonymous Internet forum and he chose to come out openly and bare his soul to the world.

Hats off to the GPA for recognising that the pressures on young players drive many to breaking point.
I see that 70 players have sought counselling services in the last three years. My firm belief is that this is less than 10% of the number who need of help.  It's hard to take positive action when your brain is dysfunctional to put it mildly. If I had to play for three or four different teams, train four nights a week and cope with the stress of academic studies at the same time, I'm afraid that I could buckle under the strain.
I hope Alan's example will inspire many others to do the same and accept that they need help from some quarter, any quarter.

[Count 10]

Belated birthday greetings Lar, I think what you and Alan have done is very honest and brave.

[ardal]

I may possibly learn to accept depression as an illness; originally from the sticks and very long in the tooth so it may take a while to accept that there's excuses for "not doing", but I have to say that that the number of people; usually civil servants, who have used depression, stress etc as an excuse to get weeks if not months off work on sick leave really riles me.

Although this young lad is obviously from a differing background than I, I recognise the problem and what he is doing, so he and his elk will have my support if not through deed then at least through thought

[muppet]

I may possibly learn to accept depression as an illness; originally from the sticks and very long in the tooth so it may take a while to accept that there's excuses for "not doing", but I have to say that that the number of people; usually civil servants, who have used depression, stress etc as an excuse to get weeks if not months off work on sick leave really riles me.

Although this young lad is obviously from a differing background than I, I recognise the problem and what he is doing, so he and his elk will have my support if not through deed then at least through thought

His Elk says thanks deer. 

[Jinxy]

Thanks very much, Matt, for your kind comments and thanks also to everyone else who responded.
There are too many to reply to individually but I'm heartened to see that so many appreciate the difficulties that depression victims go through.
May the message continue to spread.
It didn't take courage to write what I did but it took a lot for Alan O'Mara to do the same.
I turned 64 today so I'm not worried about career prospects, exam results or the pressures that playing competitive football imposes on a young person who hasn't the life experience to cope with the terrible scourge of depression.  Besides, I am posting to an anonymous Internet forum and he chose to come out openly and bare his soul to the world.

Hats off to the GPA for recognising that the pressures on young players drive many to breaking point.
I see that 70 players have sought counselling services in the last three years. My firm belief is that this is less than 10% of the number who need of help.  It's hard to take positive action when your brain is dysfunctional to put it mildly. If I had to play for three or four different teams, train four nights a week and cope with the stress of academic studies at the same time, I'm afraid that I could buckle under the strain.
I hope Alan's example will inspire many others to do the same and accept that they need help from some quarter, any quarter.

Happy birthday Lar.
You always were my favourite Mayo poster. 








The rest of them will probably be jealous now.

[muppet]

Thanks very much, Matt, for your kind comments and thanks also to everyone else who responded.
There are too many to reply to individually but I'm heartened to see that so many appreciate the difficulties that depression victims go through.
May the message continue to spread.
It didn't take courage to write what I did but it took a lot for Alan O'Mara to do the same.
I turned 64 today so I'm not worried about career prospects, exam results or the pressures that playing competitive football imposes on a young person who hasn't the life experience to cope with the terrible scourge of depression.  Besides, I am posting to an anonymous Internet forum and he chose to come out openly and bare his soul to the world.

Hats off to the GPA for recognising that the pressures on young players drive many to breaking point.
I see that 70 players have sought counselling services in the last three years. My firm belief is that this is less than 10% of the number who need of help.  It's hard to take positive action when your brain is dysfunctional to put it mildly. If I had to play for three or four different teams, train four nights a week and cope with the stress of academic studies at the same time, I'm afraid that I could buckle under the strain.
I hope Alan's example will inspire many others to do the same and accept that they need help from some quarter, any quarter.

Happy birthday Lar.
You always were my favourite Mayo poster. 








The rest of them will probably be jealous now.

Cool! A GaaBoard romance.

That hasn't happened in a while.

[Jinxy]

Thanks very much, Matt, for your kind comments and thanks also to everyone else who responded.
There are too many to reply to individually but I'm heartened to see that so many appreciate the difficulties that depression victims go through.
May the message continue to spread.
It didn't take courage to write what I did but it took a lot for Alan O'Mara to do the same.
I turned 64 today so I'm not worried about career prospects, exam results or the pressures that playing competitive football imposes on a young person who hasn't the life experience to cope with the terrible scourge of depression.  Besides, I am posting to an anonymous Internet forum and he chose to come out openly and bare his soul to the world.

Hats off to the GPA for recognising that the pressures on young players drive many to breaking point.
I see that 70 players have sought counselling services in the last three years. My firm belief is that this is less than 10% of the number who need of help.  It's hard to take positive action when your brain is dysfunctional to put it mildly. If I had to play for three or four different teams, train four nights a week and cope with the stress of academic studies at the same time, I'm afraid that I could buckle under the strain.
I hope Alan's example will inspire many others to do the same and accept that they need help from some quarter, any quarter.

Happy birthday Lar.
You always were my favourite Mayo poster. 








The rest of them will probably be jealous now.

Cool! A GaaBoard romance.

That hasn't happened in a while.

Forbidden love is the best kind.

[the Deel Rover]

Great post Lar and a belated happy birthday. As for Jinxy you can have him 

[Jinxy]

Somebody's jealous.