MUMBAI: Athletes who practice their trades in public are no more immune to stress and crippling anxiety than the fans who flock to watch them perform. Although the threat of physical injuries is the major concern, mental problems are not uncommon and this week England all-rounder Michael Yardy was forced to fly home early from the World Cup because of depression. “There can be raw pain and bleeding where so many thousands see the inevitable ups and downs of only a game,” said the celebrated Trinidad writer CLR James in the cricket classic “Beyond a Boundary.” Depression has affected athletes in a variety of sports, including former New Zealand All Blacks winger John Kirwan, a member of the 1987 World Cup winning team. “I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and I didn't know who was staring back,” Kirwan told the BBC. “It was the biggest nightmare and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. “But for me someone coming home from the Cricket World Cup with depression is like somebody coming home from the cricket World Cup because he has torn his hamstring.” Marcus Tresothick, who cut short an outstanding international career with England, has written vividly of the time depression hit him on a tour of India in 2006. “I was petrified. I started sweating heavily and shaking. My mind was racing. And I could hear a loud thumping noise – like someone banging a big drum,” he said. “I couldn't work it out. Then I realized it was my heart. For a moment I was convinced I was dying. I knew I was in serious trouble.” Kirwan and Trescothick are in agreement that depression is an illness which can strike anybody in any walk of life. “Rich, poor, skinny, fat, famous or not famous,” Kirwan said. “It's an illness, if you had any other illness you'd go straight to the doctor and get help.” Lou Vincent, who made a century on debut for New Zealand against an Australian attack containing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, also dropped out of top-class cricket because of depression. “It's not the stress of playing, it's the stress of off-the-field stuff,” he told Spin magazine. “But it's not just sportsmen who go through this lull of depression, this black beast of constant anxiety. There's a lot of pressure on everyone – pressure to earn money, to consume.” In 2009, a BBC television program called Mind Games examined the issue of stress in sport, including an interview with Britain's former world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno who has suffered well-documented problems with depression. While it was being edited, Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke committed suicide. “One in six of us will suffer stress, mental illness or depression over the course of our lives,” wrote presenter Gabby Logan. “Is the sportsman predisposed to mental illness or does the sport induce it? Sport-induced depression seems to develop through different triggers: the stress of continued peak performance, the despair in long periods of injury and the futility of life in retirement. “The highs and lows of sport are so intense, focusing on such small detail to gain advantage and then enjoying victory for just a few snatched moments before the next goal is laid down.” Initial reaction to Yardy's sudden departure from Sri Lanka has been sympathetic. “People have to understand that depression is a physical illness, not a sign of any kind of weakness,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan. “There's a lot of pressure playing in a World Cup but if you've got these issues you're never going to get the best out of yourself. “I bet there are players in other sports who are struggling with depression and aren't being as up front as some cricketers.”
