Loved by millions and paid a king’s ransom, elite sportsmen and women appear to have it all. But all the money in the world cannot combat depression. Barry Nelson reports.

ONE in four of us will be affected by depression at some stage in our lives and, in a small minority of cases, some of us will even have suicidal thoughts. Professional sports stars are no different.

Most of us will get over depression, either with the help of family and friends or by seeking professional help.

But the shocking death of Gary Speed has prompted speculation that the former Newcastle and Leeds player may have been suffering from depression. The footballing world is still in shock after the news broke that the popular 42-year-old Wales manager was found hanging at his home on the outskirts of Chester early on Sunday morning.

Fans and insiders alike found it difficult to comprehend how the popular ex-player could have seemed so cheerful on the BBC Football Focus TV show on Saturday lunchtime and be dead within 24 hours.

But sadly, the sudden death of a prominent sportsman or woman is not unheard of.

In 2009, highly-rated German goalkeeper Robert Enke took his own life because of depression.

Celtic football manager Neil Lennon recognised he was fighting depression and sought help. His two sisters, mother and other relatives had also been affected by the condition and he knew it was something he had to take seriously.

“People think strong, young men shouldn’t be depressed. But if you have the flu, you take something for it. If you have depression, you go see someone to get something for it,” he said.

Other sports people who have been affected include England cricketer Marcus Trescothick, the hero of the 2005 Ashes, who had to return home midway through two England tours to India.

Trescothick said only the people who suffer with depression really understand it.

“It is important for people to know that it is not a weakness in people, it is an illness,” he said.

Olympic 800m and 1500m champion, Kelly Holmes, also had to win her own battle with depression to rebuild her career.

One of the most famous examples in the sports world was former heavyweight champion, Frank Bruno, who became so seriously ill that he had to be sectioned for a while under the Mental Health Act.

At the time he said: “I felt ashamed when the ambulances came. Everybody knew what was going on apart from me.”

ACCORDING to the Mind website, depression simply means, being in low spirits, at least in its mildest form.

It doesn’t stop you leading your normal life, but makes everything harder to do and seem less worthwhile.

But at its most severe, major depression – also known as clinical depression – can be lifethreatening, because it can make people suicidal or simply give up the will to live.

There is no single cause of depression, it varies from person to person and can occur through a combination of factors.

Gary Emerson, chief executive of Darlington Mind, says getting help is vital, but so many people – and particularly men – find this difficult.

“The difficulty among men is that despite a number of campaigns to change attitudes there is a huge amount of stigma attached to mental health issues and depression.”

While women are often more prepared to talk about mental health issues, particularly with other women, many men are simply not prepared to admit to other men that they are feeling depression.

“If they are feeling low or feeling inadequate about themselves this is not something that most men want to talk about,” he said.

With well-known, high-profile sporting personalities there is an additional problem because of the macho attitudes associated with many competitive sports.

“People are not prepared to show a degree of weakness, particularly people who are wellknown sports personalities and in the public eye,” he said.

It doesn’t help that there is a lot of media interest in celebrities who may be dealing with any kind of mental health issue.

Mr Emerson says in the past decade or so there has been a transformation of the way mental health problems are dealt with in the NHS.

“In Darlington most GPs have their own mental health counsellor based in the practice.

There has been a significant increase in the amount of funding for local intervention in recent years,” he said.

In the majority of cases, an individual’s depression can be treated by therapy or drugs or a combination of the two.

“The simple act of just talking to somebody is a huge positive development. Talking to a specially trained counsellor who won’t judge them and who will provide a sympathetic ear is really important,” Mr Emerson said.