The issue of depression in sport was catapulted to front page news worldwide following the death of Wales soccer manager Gary Speed who committed suicide last week.
And it’s an issue that, sadly, is all too prevalent in Ireland where the number of people who take their own lives remains shockingly high.
As part of its Player Development Program, the Gaelic Players Association initiated a nationwide counseling service for county players last year.
While the objective of the service is to encourage young men to talk about issues affecting their lives, the GPA is acutely aware that its membership is primarily made up of a demographic considered most at risk from suicide.
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Run by a team of clinical psychologists, it was expected that uptake for the service might be slow, that it would take time for players to become comfortable with the offer of support for their personal difficulties.
However, the opposite has been the case and there has been a steady flow of young men accessing the counsellors with a range of personal problems.
In fact such is the demand and length of time it takes for players to go through the full course of counseling sessions that the program will have to be expanded.
The hope is that by encouraging players to discuss their mental health through the counseling service and other support services such as the GPA’s life skills program, problems will be tackled and dealt with before they deepen.
Having to balance careers on and off the field is a unique challenge for amateur GAA players and can exacerbate emotional problems if left unchecked. The issue of athletic identity and managing the transition into retirement can also pose unique difficulties.
Unfortunately Gaelic games have not been spared the tragedy of suicide in recent times with a number of players taking their own lives.
In response to the growing need for mental health awareness in Ireland, the GPA has also committed to working with a number of mental health organizations next year as part of its support for social initiatives and charity.
Unlike the acceptance of widespread public campaigns such as road safety and health promotion, the issue of mental health is often sidelined and the GPA can play a specific role in helping to de-stigmatize it.
In January a team of ambassadors for mental health campaign will be announced. The ambassadors, four high profile county players, will help promote the work of Headstrong, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.
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And the GPA will also support the well known mental health organization Aware which is running a fundraising and awareness drive next summer, a campaign which, it is hoped, will reach every county in Ireland.
What was most encouraging from the GPA’s perspective was the number of players who volunteered to act as ambassadors for mental health, perhaps reflecting changing attitudes in Ireland to the issue.
And changing attitudes is the next essential step the country needs to take if it is to protect young people from losing hope.
4 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.merefalow | Dec 08, 2011, 02:29 PM EST
pity it dont effect politicoes
CaptainCon | Dec 08, 2011, 02:01 AM EST
Sirpeter there is a problem in particular among young men in Ireland and the way statistics are gathered hides a number of suicides depending on the method chosen for the suicide. There is also the reluctance of doctors in rural areas to put suicide down as a cause of death because of stigma attached to the act. Comparisons to Japan are interesting though because there also we have a large population of young men in partiucular stuck in a kind of unemployment stasis.
sirpeter | Dec 07, 2011, 09:10 PM EST
Wrong again.Suicide while tragic and always shockingly to high is no higher or lower per head of population than any other European country and it is certainly lower than Japan.Is this PunchCentral?IC headlines are always misleading ye pack of fu*kers.Ye know the headline has the best lasting impact when it comes to a lie.
CaptainCon | Dec 07, 2011, 11:31 AM EST
Good work- nice to see a national organisation not attempting to hide the problem but being open and planning properly for a known issue. Highly recommend to any young person suffering from depression/the black dog to avail of any opportunity to talk to someone. They may not be able to make the problem disappear but you will be in a better state of mind afterwards and much more likely to come upon that solution that puts you back on the road.