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Mental Health and the Players


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Citing wealth as a reason for not having mental health problems is very ignorant.

 

Caroline Flack, who was probably worth a few quid, just hung herself. Now yes there were some mitigating circumstances with respect to her (the upcoming trial), but by all accounts she had battled with mental health issues for years. Sadly, the last few months appeared to be the tipping point and she is no longer here. 

 

There are numerous examples of wealthy, successful individuals battling with depression, anxiety and so forth. 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, SiJ said:

Citing wealth as a reason for not having mental health problems is very ignorant.

 

Caroline Flack, who was probably worth a few quid, just hung herself. Now yes there were some mitigating circumstances with respect to her (the upcoming trial), but by all accounts she had battled with mental health issues for years. Sadly, the last few months appeared to be the tipping point and she is no longer here. 

 

There are numerous examples of wealthy, successful individuals battling with depression, anxiety and so forth. 

 

 

 

I dont think 99.9% of people are saying that wealthy people will never have metal health issues because they are rich.

But I do believe that the lower you are on the wealth and income scale the more likely you are to have mental health issues.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-poverty


I have sympathy for anyone who has mental health issues but not really sure why we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who is unemployed, factory worker or a McDonalds employee.
 

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5 minutes ago, matthefish2002 said:

 

I dont think 99.9% of people are saying that wealthy people will never have metal health issues because they are rich.

But I do believe that the lower you are on the wealth and income scale the more likely you are to have mental health issues.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-poverty


I have sympathy for anyone who has mental health issues but not really sure why we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who is unemployed, factory worker or a McDonalds employee.
 

Who said we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who works at McDonalds? 

 

I don't see where you got that inference from? 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, matthefish2002 said:

 

I dont think 99.9% of people are saying that wealthy people will never have metal health issues because they are rich.

But I do believe that the lower you are on the wealth and income scale the more likely you are to have mental health issues.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-poverty


I have sympathy for anyone who has mental health issues but not really sure why we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who is unemployed, factory worker or a McDonalds employee.
 

 

Don't think that's been asked for more that everyone stops hassling others online.  Be constructive critically but not abusive.

 

Not gonna happen only way that is going to happen is through legislation and I doubt any government would be brave enough to do that.

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2 minutes ago, SiJ said:

Who said we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who works at McDonalds? 

 

I don't see where you got that inference from? 

 

 

 

I didn't mean on Owlstalk I just meant generally that anyone famous who has a health problem people are always falling over themselves to virtue signal about it.

 

2 minutes ago, Inspector Lestrade said:

 

Don't think that's been asked for more that everyone stops hassling others online.  Be constructive critically but not abusive.

 

Not gonna happen only way that is going to happen is through legislation and I doubt any government would be brave enough to do that.

 

I agree that people shouldn't be abusive online or anywhere else for that matter. Never put anything online something you would never say to someones face is a good rule to have. 

 

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Guest LondonOwl313
42 minutes ago, Ronnie Starling said:

I hope our footballers don't read this forum. Their emotions will be a roller coaster of ups and downs. I've been guilty of it and not proud of the abuse posted about some of our players on here. Currently the likes of Pelupessy is the fans favourite boo boy and not so long ago it was Fox. Then they go out and try to perform which can be met with fans shouting their names from the rafters when things go well to giving them dogs abuse when they don't. Footballers can earn a lot of money and enjoy the rewards and riches in life, but I can imagine it can also be a lonely existence for some of them. Think about a footballer being in a work place they are unhappy to be in, because of the abuse from fans, not fitting in with the dressing room or managers plans. In most cases its difficult for them to walk away due to their contractual obligations or maybe their financial commitments.

Tbh I think the players know whether they’re playing well or not and they probably also have an awareness of what their ability level is. Pelupessy is probably quite happy to be playing at Championship level.. they don’t need to look online to see what’s said because it should be obvious what comments will be like. Better ignoring opinions and focusing on their own performance.. and I think 95% of them will do that otherwise you’d be a nervous wreck when you go out on the pitch 

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It's all very sad.

Unfortunately in owlstalk some of the posts submitted has no reflection of the posters age unless the poster age has been declared.

 

What may sound like childish hurtful comments may in fact be coming from a child.

Whilst I'm not endorsing their post/s, I am saying its something to be mindful of particularly if responding to one of their colourful post/s.

 

 

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1 hour ago, matthefish2002 said:

 

Think players have to accept though the price for earning fortunes (which has gone up dramatically in last 10-15 years) is that the supporters will be more demanding.

 

 

 

Supporters have always been demanding, still cannot see why how much they earn makes a difference, and it does not mean people are free to abuse them at any level.

"nobody told me there would be days like these!"

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10 hours ago, LondonOwl313 said:

Generally I think social media is toxic.. if you go on things like Twitter it’s like an echo chamber, full of people with bizarre views that you don’t seem to come across day to day.

 

Jordan Peterson likens social media not to an echo chamber, but an amplifier, and I can see what he means.

 

8 hours ago, onlyonedavidhirst said:

I have a family member who competed for GB in a particular sport and I remember the time when I watched her shake with fear all the way through her event and then felt she’d let everyone down afterwards. I would hate to think if that had been televised what people would have said about her when every ounce of her wanted to do better. This was not her “debut” or anything like that at all by the way.  I wish some fans would think that there us almost always things going on that we just aren’t aware of that affect players and the team. 

 

Jim Kelly was a tremendously successful player in the NFL, leading his team to 4 consecutive Super Bowls, yet he was so nervous before a game that he used to be violently sick. In fact, it became part of the pre-game ritual and once when it didn't happen his team mates were concerned that he wasn't prepared to play.

 

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It really doesn't surprise me at all that a lot more footballers are coming out and talking about their mental health and the issues they have had. The pressure of the job at times I can only imagine. The swings in emotions as well, it's bad enough as a supporter but to be involved in it must be another level. One minute you're king of the world the next you're deemed not good enough. Twitter can't help, I think in the future the FA or whoever will have to put some proper support in place to deal with social media as nearly 99% of players will have grown up with it.

 

I think it's very ignorant to suggest players should be OK just because of the money they earn, that's nonsense. It's offensive to those players who have clearly suffered and still very brave to come out and talk about. I'm sure a lot of people here will listen to the Undr The Cosh podcasts and something Jon Otsemobor said struck with me, that he put all his memorabilia away and didn't think about football for a couple of years to kind of get it out of his system. To me that made me quite sad to think of a player who had won promotion with Wednesday not even casting his mind back to that day for a while. That should rank amongst the best of memories for any player. Clearly there will be loads of players who will have had similar processes to go through.

 

It's not just the fact some players lose their money through chasing a high (gambling, drinking whatever it may be.) but it's the fact one moment you could be being cheered on by 20000 people every week and the next nothing, that mentally must be a challenge. Particularly if you've been in football a long time.

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38 minutes ago, TomtheOwl95 said:

It really doesn't surprise me at all that a lot more footballers are coming out and talking about their mental health and the issues they have had. The pressure of the job at times I can only imagine. The swings in emotions as well, it's bad enough as a supporter but to be involved in it must be another level. One minute you're king of the world the next you're deemed not good enough. Twitter can't help, I think in the future the FA or whoever will have to put some proper support in place to deal with social media as nearly 99% of players will have grown up with it.

 

I think it's very ignorant to suggest players should be OK just because of the money they earn, that's nonsense. It's offensive to those players who have clearly suffered and still very brave to come out and talk about. I'm sure a lot of people here will listen to the Undr The Cosh podcasts and something Jon Otsemobor said struck with me, that he put all his memorabilia away and didn't think about football for a couple of years to kind of get it out of his system. To me that made me quite sad to think of a player who had won promotion with Wednesday not even casting his mind back to that day for a while. That should rank amongst the best of memories for any player. Clearly there will be loads of players who will have had similar processes to go through.

 

It's not just the fact some players lose their money through chasing a high (gambling, drinking whatever it may be.) but it's the fact one moment you could be being cheered on by 20000 people every week and the next nothing, that mentally must be a challenge. Particularly if you've been in football a long time.

 

Great post. Spot on.

 

The PFA have some support mechanisms in place for players who suffer, and a lot of clubs' medical staff are now trained in spotting and referring. Obviously - like many walks of life - a lot of players don't show or admit to it though. Football is a 'manly' sport - changing room bants, geezer camaraderie, supporter pressure, media spotlight, etc - it is hard to admit to mental problems in a position like that (especially publicly) and some posts on this very thread and elsewhere have shown why.

 

The highs are extremely high, the lows are extremely low. We've all seen or heard some of the abuse that can be levelled at players, not many really see how that effects them behind closed doors. Imagine hundreds of people coming to your job and chanting at you, imagine your twitter notifications going mad calling you loads of names after you've had a bad day at your office, imagine seeing your name in headlines blaming you for your company failing, etc - it HAS to have an effect even on those with strong mental fortitude and players are just humans too, with human emotions and feelings, no matter how much they get paid.

 

 

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Guest LondonOwl313
1 hour ago, TomtheOwl95 said:

It really doesn't surprise me at all that a lot more footballers are coming out and talking about their mental health and the issues they have had. The pressure of the job at times I can only imagine. The swings in emotions as well, it's bad enough as a supporter but to be involved in it must be another level. One minute you're king of the world the next you're deemed not good enough. Twitter can't help, I think in the future the FA or whoever will have to put some proper support in place to deal with social media as nearly 99% of players will have grown up with it.

 

I think it's very ignorant to suggest players should be OK just because of the money they earn, that's nonsense. It's offensive to those players who have clearly suffered and still very brave to come out and talk about. I'm sure a lot of people here will listen to the Undr The Cosh podcasts and something Jon Otsemobor said struck with me, that he put all his memorabilia away and didn't think about football for a couple of years to kind of get it out of his system. To me that made me quite sad to think of a player who had won promotion with Wednesday not even casting his mind back to that day for a while. That should rank amongst the best of memories for any player. Clearly there will be loads of players who will have had similar processes to go through.

 

It's not just the fact some players lose their money through chasing a high (gambling, drinking whatever it may be.) but it's the fact one moment you could be being cheered on by 20000 people every week and the next nothing, that mentally must be a challenge. Particularly if you've been in football a long time.

I’m not sure it’s about ignorance.. it’s just that people have choices in life. Most mental health issues have a situational cause (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/clinical-depression/causes/

 

Think the point is, if financial issues are the cause of your problems that can be very hard to fix in the short term. Likewise if you have an illness or have suffered a bereavement or relationship breakdown as the cause then there’s very little you can do about it and have to just deal with it as it’s a reality that can’t change.

 

I wouldn’t say that footballers are immune to these problems and I’m sure it’s a big deal for them if you suffer from anxiety... but you still have a choice, you can always walk away from the root cause of your problems (i.e. playing football) if it’s too much to cope with. That’s something you can’t do if you’re in a debt black hole or you’ve lost your health or a loved one, as you’re trapped in the situation. And it’s pretty rare for footballers to do so.. obviously it’s well publicised that Kirkland had problems when he was at SWFC and it’s why he retired earlyish, plus the German keeper who killed himself.. but on the whole 99% of players want to carry on in spite of it all so the good must outweigh the bad.

 

So it’s not that people are trying to belittle their mental health problems as inconsequential because they have money.. it’s just that there are thousands if not millions of people in this country who’s life situations are hard to change and they’re stuck with big money problems causing mental health problems. No footballer would switch places with them just because they don’t get booed or abused online. Just think that it’s a first world problem and there are others in much greater need of help 

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Yeah but this is about behaviours, and when choosing the appropriate behaviour I don’t think the thought process should be ‘well this player has options to

walk away from playing football if he doesn’t like the behaviour that is causing him mental health issues, he could always do some other job (that I think is actually more likely to cause those issues), unless he is so rich he can afford to just stop doing what he loves and do nothing instead’.

 

There’s no need to complete that kind of risk assessment to decide if it’s a ‘first world problem’ when you can just choose not to be a cü*t to anyone.

 

 

 

 

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Guest LondonOwl313
3 hours ago, Sonny said:

Yeah but this is about behaviours, and when choosing the appropriate behaviour I don’t think the thought process should be ‘well this player has options to

walk away from playing football if he doesn’t like the behaviour that is causing him mental health issues, he could always do some other job (that I think is actually more likely to cause those issues), unless he is so rich he can afford to just stop doing what he loves and do nothing instead’.

 

There’s no need to complete that kind of risk assessment to decide if it’s a ‘first world problem’ when you can just choose not to be a cü*t to anyone.

 

 

 

 

No need to be rude is there d1ckhead... you clearly don’t have the intelligence to understand the point I was making

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16 hours ago, matthefish2002 said:

 

I dont think 99.9% of people are saying that wealthy people will never have metal health issues because they are rich.

But I do believe that the lower you are on the wealth and income scale the more likely you are to have mental health issues.

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-poverty


I have sympathy for anyone who has mental health issues but not really sure why we should have more sympathy for footballers than someone who is unemployed, factory worker or a McDonalds employee.
 

Hey dont maccies workers get free burgers?! Party on

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Whilst having sympathy for genuine sufferers and admitting to being no expert such as sc-owl, I do feel the topic of mental health is almost promoted to be used at times. My daughters school have had many lessons dedicated to the issue.... I wonder how many kids then go home either worrying about things they shouldnt or then using MH as an excuse for things that do go wrong, as in life as we all know shiiiite happens! We all have different ways of coping I guess. Social media can be a nasty piece of work and in my eyes is the main cause of modern day angst......but its not going anywhere Im afraid so buckle up folks and look after those around you, give them a chin up or a pint and try and be happy. Thats all from Dr Stav

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