I didn't want to put his name on the thread title, but fair play to him a very good piece:
http://gaelicplayers.com/WhatsHappening/LatestNews/TabId/86/ArtMID/421/ArticleID/165/Alan-O-Mara---My-Story.aspx (http://gaelicplayers.com/WhatsHappening/LatestNews/TabId/86/ArtMID/421/ArticleID/165/Alan-O-Mara---My-Story.aspx)
Quote from: muppet on May 28, 2013, 06:13:32 PM
I didn't want to put his name on the thread title, but fair play to him a very good piece:
http://gaelicplayers.com/WhatsHappening/LatestNews/TabId/86/ArtMID/421/ArticleID/165/Alan-O-Mara---My-Story.aspx (http://gaelicplayers.com/WhatsHappening/LatestNews/TabId/86/ArtMID/421/ArticleID/165/Alan-O-Mara---My-Story.aspx)
Fair play to him, the more people in that state talk openly about it the better it may be for him to handle it, must be hearbreaking for his family, worrying all the time I'm sure
Thanks for putting up that link Muppet. It gives a great insight into that terrible illness and fair play to the lad for putting his experiences out there to help others suffering a similar plight.
A good article, a brave man and hopefully it will help others in the same predicament.
Excellent and one of most emotional articles I have read on here
I saw this earlier on facebook and was tempted to post it but decided not to.
A very emotional and extremely well written article.
I am glad he sought help from a counsellor rather than a more permanent form of help that is all too common nowadays.
Well done Alan. This piece could save lives and will certainly help to lift the stigma of mental illness. Hope we see you back in a Cavan jersey soon.
I don't think sometimes that Alan and his team mates have any real idea of the positive impact they have on the lives of people in the wider community. He was an absolute leader on a Cavan Under 21 team that restored all our faith in the Countys fortunes two years ago with a glorious run through to an All Ireland Final. After so many years of disappointment exiled Cavan men around the country are again able to go into work on a Monday with the chest out and the head held high. Take a bow Alan and I'm hoping that going public will be a load off your mind and a really positive step in your rehabilitation. Proud of you as a Shamrocks Man, a Cavan man and a really good guy.
No doubt about it there's something about the Shamrocks and Cavan Number 1 Jersey and literary abilities-Tom McIntyre the author and playright from the 50's, Ulster medal winning journalist Paul O Dowd from 97 and now Alan. Not sure if the current incumbent is similarly inclined mind you.
Quote from: Itchy on May 28, 2013, 09:24:10 PM
Well done Alan. This piece could save lives and will certainly help to lift the stigma of mental illness. Hope we see you back in a Cavan jersey soon.
IMO when fit he is the number one keeper in County at moment.
Yeah read his article in the paper at the weekend. He gave a serious insight in to the condition. A very brave young man indeed.
I'll echo what the lads before me said. It's certainly not easy to admit any sort of mental health issues. To be a 22 year old county footballer and come out with such honesty about it is admirable, shows a lot of confidence and bravery. This sort of openness, especially from popular, successful well adjusted figures, helps dispel the fear that's out there surrounding talking about mental health issues. Well done Alan. Hopefully more will follow suit.
excellent piece. Hope he gets well soon. It is a terrible illness to have.
I'll not lie a few years ago I thought that depression was a load of old balls. Recently i've learnt a lot more about it and think it's such a terrible illness to have because of the usual silent nature of it. Wish the lad well and hope he overcomes it with the help of family, friends and wider GAA circle.
Excellent piece, fair play to him is right. Hopefully other young lads in similar situations will be able to take a lead from him.
If I remember right he wrote a great article during one of them U21 runs a couple of years ago as well.
Hope all goes well for him....brave man to do it....think this will help lots of people who are suffering to come and speak to someone.
That piece gives us a serious insight into mental illness.
The player is to be commended for opening up and going public with it.
Just to echo what everybody else has been saying. Kudos to him for showing the courage and bravery to go public with this illness. Every bit of publicity by high profile guys like Alan about this illness helps to chip away at the ignorance and stigma surrounding it. Hopefully putting his thoughts into words has helped in some way to ease the empty and self destructive thoughts. The GPA and those around him must also be commended for their support.
I know the lad from training with him and playing against him. He's a great lad and I wish him all the best.
Apparently there was some very bad sledging at the Donegal Tyrone match. I would hope that if he ever plays against any of the perpetrators they don't cross the red line of taunting him about depression.
Quote from: seafoid on May 29, 2013, 09:56:38 AM
Apparently there was some very bad sledging at the Donegal Tyrone match. I would hope that if he ever plays against any of the perpetrators they don't cross the red line of taunting him about depression.
The sad thing is we all know there are some scumbags out there who will do it.
I would hope that the officials (Umpires, linesmen and Refs) would work together to spot this and take action.
Quote from: muppet on May 29, 2013, 10:28:35 AM
Quote from: seafoid on May 29, 2013, 09:56:38 AM
Apparently there was some very bad sledging at the Donegal Tyrone match. I would hope that if he ever plays against any of the perpetrators they don't cross the red line of taunting him about depression.
The sad thing is we all know there are some scumbags out there who will do it.
The GAA should have sanctions for "bringing the game into disrepute".
Very brave and insightful article. Best of luck to him
Interesting article and should be posted on the wall of changing rooms up and down the country if only to show lads and ladies that whatever emotions they're struggling with that there is a positive outcome.
Well done the GPA for offering this service.
Fair play to him. As itchy said he could well save lives by opening up about his own story.
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.
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on May 29, 2013, 01:12:15 PM
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.
Wow. That's as powerful and honest a post as laoislad's there a couple of years ago. Fair play Lar and I'm sure someone out there will realise that there is light at the end of the tunnel as a result of posting that. Proud to be a member of an organisation that helps to address the issues of the day that official Ireland shies away from. I take my hat off to the Oisin McConville's, Alan O'Meara's, Lar Naparka's, etc. I also think the GPA (whom I've never been fully comfortable with) need to be lauded here.
Well done and thanks, Lar. An inspirational story. And well done Alan, too.
Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on May 29, 2013, 02:52:14 PM
Wow. That's as powerful and honest a post as laoislad's there a couple of years ago. Fair play Lar and I'm sure someone out there will realise that there is light at the end of the tunnel as a result of posting that. Proud to be a member of an organisation that helps to address the issues of the day that official Ireland shies away from. I take my hat off to the Oisin McConville's, Alan O'Meara's, Lar Naparka's, etc. I also think the GPA (whom I've never been fully comfortable with) need to be lauded here.
+1
Well done Lar and well done Alan for shining a light on the darkness as it were. Does a powerful good to share this.
Good post Lar.
Fair play to you Lar. Inspirational
This sentence struck a chord with me
Quotepeople 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
You've always struck me as being one of the best posters on here, Lar. You've reinforced that view for me with your post. To see someone as well-adjusted as yourself having to cope with the scourge of depression really shows how indiscriminate it is. Maith an fear.
Maith an fearr Lar
Sadly some people who suffer from depression seek solace in the bottle - which actually makes matters worse as alcohol is, in itself, a depressent.
And then you need more and more as your tolerance increases etc.
God speed Lar and thanks for putting that out there.
Powerful stuff Lar (and Alan); no one's immune from that cursed affliction, and the best we can all do is put it out there to give others hope, and selfless stories like those should do just that.
Fair play Lar, inspirational. It takes huge courage to post something like that, even with the relative anonymity the board provides. Best of luck to the young Cavan keeper, you never really know what is going on in someones mind, here is a young lad with the world at his feet, yet suffering from this terrible disease. I hope his story will lead to other young people seeking help.
Alan was back between the posts for our juniors this evening in the Leinster championship and got a one point win.
Thanks for sharing that Lar.
Great post Lar.
It's hugely important that well-meaning people don't take the "Sure it could be worse" approach to dealing with someone they think is depressed.
Pointing out how good they have it relative to some other people simply does not work.
Sometimes you just have to ride it out with them and do everything you can to make life easier for them.
Small problems become magnified and can make the situation snowball so the more bumps in the road you can smooth out for them the better.
And listen to them when they talk to you.
With some people it occurs periodically, with others it's chronic.
Thankfully I think attitudes to depression have changed enormously in recent years and the more people share their experiences, the more other people will realise that it can affect anyone regardless of their societal status.
The lad that seems to have it all is just as susceptible to depression as the lad that has nothing.
Fair play to you Lar and Alan for sharing your stories. I have met a lot of people suffering from depression through my work and it is a savage affliction.
Great post Lar
Thanks for sharing Lar. There's definitely a maturity in this board that you don't see anywhere else.
The more education we get on mental health the better in the long run so great to see the Dubs and the Carlow footballers before them bringing awareness into the Public domain.
Great post lads......................fair play all round........keep her lit country brethren.................................
Winning at national level in the GAA is a high that is not always easy to come down from. Ordinary life may seem bland in comparison .
It is very encouraging to see the GPA taking the lead on this subject.
Quote from: Lar Naparka on May 29, 2013, 02:28:03 PM
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on May 29, 2013, 01:12:15 PM
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.
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.
Quote from: ONeill on May 30, 2013, 09:03:42 PM
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.
Quote from: ross matt on May 30, 2013, 03:01:17 PM
Quote from: Lar Naparka on May 29, 2013, 02:28:03 PM
Quote from: Donnellys Hollow on May 29, 2013, 01:12:15 PM
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.
Belated birthday greetings Lar, I think what you and Alan have done is very honest and brave.
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
Quote from: ardal on May 31, 2013, 07:34:43 PM
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. :P
Quote from: Lar Naparka on May 31, 2013, 01:49:04 AM
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.
Quote from: Jinxy on June 01, 2013, 02:44:04 PM
Quote from: Lar Naparka on May 31, 2013, 01:49:04 AM
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.
Quote from: muppet on June 01, 2013, 09:17:06 PM
Quote from: Jinxy on June 01, 2013, 02:44:04 PM
Quote from: Lar Naparka on May 31, 2013, 01:49:04 AM
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.
Great post Lar and a belated happy birthday. As for Jinxy you can have him ;D
Somebody's jealous.