Hoops

Wortho on post-career depression

I sense irony in the posts which attempt to diminish the validity of Mark's perceived mental state. I hope I am wrong.

For those of you who might think things could be going much better but feel alone, lost, or a burden on others, please consider this......

The worst possible outcome you may have contemplated is likely to cause considerably greater harm than an honest and open discussion (or discussions) about your fears with people who support you. Seek help now and prevent persistent negative thoughts dominating how you view your life.

Be kind people, to yourself and others.

I had the blues because I had no shoes , until upon the street
I met a man who had no feet.

" but for him, at that time, I'm sure it was a major aspect of his mental health. It can hamper anyone."

a very important observation.

"I'd say there are a few anonymous posters in this thread who count as moronic and/or shitheads, maybe cowards too considering the lack of a name to their comments,"

no question that this is true, their posts simply confirm that there are always a (hopefully) minority of the population that are unfairly and unjustifiably judgmental, biased and bigoted on issues that they are probably willfully ignorant of, and it's this small part of our community that makes the most significant problems for others, and of whom the unscrupulous can take greedy advantage off ( alt right and tin hat professional manipulators/politicians)

I had the blues because I had no shoes , until upon the street
I met a man who had no feet.

I'd say there are a few anonymous posters in this thread who count as moronic and/or shitheads, maybe cowards too considering the lack of a name to their comments, regardless of my viewpoint.

#912 if someone doesn't share your viewpoint it isn't "moronic" or "shithead".

I think an ex NBLer in worse shape is Luke Martin.

I also seem to recall reading of a retiring athlete specific condition. The psych interviewed referred to 2 specific retired NBL players who had had legal issues post-career.

The DSM V has a diagnostic category: Adjustment Disorder

This can present in a person as anxiety and depressive symptomology. Serious stuff.

“Definition

Adjustment disorder is an abnormal and excessive reaction to an identifiable life stressor. The reaction is more severe than would normally be expected and can result in significant impairment in social, occupational, or academic functioning. Symptoms must arise within three months of the onset of the stressor and last no longer than six months after the stressor has ended.

The response may be linked to a single event (a flood or fire, marriage, divorce, starting school, a new job) or multiple events (marital problems or severe business difficulties). Stressors may be recurrent events (a child witnessing parents constantly fighting, chemotherapy, financial difficulties) or continuous (living in a crime-ridden neighborhood).

Adjustment disorder often occurs with one or more of the following: depressed mood, anxiety, disturbance of conduct (in which the patient violates rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules), and maladaptive reactions (i.e. problems related to work or school, physical complaints, social isolation).

Adjustment disorders are associated with high risk of suicide and suicidal behavior, substance abuse, and the prolongation of other medical disorders or interference with their treatment. Adjustment disorder that persists may progress to become a more severe mental disorder, such as major depressive disorder.

Adjustment disorder is sometimes referred to as Situational Depression.

Symptoms

Depressed mood
Impaired occupational/social functioning
Agitation
Trembling or twitching
Physical complaints (e.g. general aches and pains, stomachache, headache, chest pain)
Palpitations
Conduct disturbances (e.g. truancy, vandalism, reckless driving or fighting)
Withdrawal
Anxiety, worry, stress and tension
Note: Symptoms may vary widely. The person may or may not be aware of the stressor causing the disturbance.“

(Psychology Today, retrieved 31/7/2018).

Dazz you don't get it.

Sure he may be depressed but the thing is the dude was on the gravy train for so long and didn't prepare for normal life. What, he wants the gravy train to continute forever? Athletes don't seem to get it - it's a privilege not a right for life when you are a pro athlete.

How about discussing the issue not calling people names to get attention?

"People used to love me or hate me, now no one is talking about me" ...so I'm depressed.

I thought my entry was harsh but LoveBroker really went deeper.

The issue is these pro sports people don't realise how good they have it. Then their life becomes mundane after sports and they think their worlds are ending. They need to accept it's over. I agree not really a problem. Harsh but true.

LoveBroker's post was sin-binned but I've returned it. It's probably insensitive, but might bring about some reasonable discussion.

There's always someone who has it worse, but I do think more people openly discussing their problems can only help those going through difficult times. It's more commonplace than people suspect. Everyone is fighting their personal battles. Some are in tougher situations or predisposed to find those challenges more difficult.

Steven Adams wrote/spoke (a book?) recently about tough times while at college - loneliness, homesickness, etc. Part of my initial reaction was "doesn't sound like the end of the world", but for him, at that time, I'm sure it was a major aspect of his mental health. It can hamper anyone.

Didn't he coach QBL Cairns women's team and also go to US to be assistant at his old college? Did these fall through?

This will sound harsh but this is a first world problem.

"People used to love me or hate me, now no one is talking about me" ...so I'm depressed.

Ummmm...there are people out there with real issues out there that continue to soldier on. People who are have a disability, people with life threatening illnesses, people who have suffered a loss of a loved one or even people with financial disadvantage.

Wortho has lived a good life so far devoid of much of the above.

I don't do the toughen up princess thing, I understand people are different and have different tolerance levels, but his 'problems' seem minute compared to others.

Anytime there is a change in someone's life there is a risk of a depressive episode. Changes can be childbirth, loss of a job, loss of a loved one etc.

There are probably more athletes who are affected by this than we know, or are willing to accept. Some codes have an excellent athlete management system where they focus not only on the sport, but outside the sport and post sport. One of my children's partners plays top level sport and they have told me how much time they spend with the sports psych as well as training.

As far as armed forces are concerned. There is actually a lot of talk at the moment on how the ADF manages the transition of veterans post service and what they can do to support them more. They found that the rate of mental illness while they were serving was less than the general population, but after a few years in civilian life, the rate of mental illness was actually a factor of the base population.

I have but he was by far the worst.

Not to sound harsh but I'm not surprised it has been hard on him and as isaac said it would be a career and monetary level issue more than anything. He was probably the most overpaid player in the NBL relative to his output during his career post Kings. Never produced what he did under Goorjian who got the best out of him which paved the way for nice deals afterwards. At every other club he was taking it easy and for a pro athelete to have no muscle definition/refuse to hit the gym was shocking to me.

Dealing with the come down from anything in life is a challenge. I moved from a fast paced average city job to good rural australia job and it took me 6 months to adjust and that was just employment. So the more the emotional investment, the more the adjustment. If I ever felt anything like depression creeping in I put that energy into use in a positive manner by occupying myself with new positive influences and people. Even if it was simple things like exercise, music or anything creative.

Good point Isaac. Definitely not unique to only the sporting fields and I imagine it would be more prevalent in men in-line with general society.

AKA, probably some similarities with life after a military career. Friendships, structure, discipline, etc.

This is a really important aspect for most professional sporting leagues around the world and a difficult one to get a resolution to. I have a couple of mates in the NBL who are getting on in age and I recently asked them why wanted to keep playing. Is it the love of the sport or other and they both answered the same way which rung alarm bells for me. They said basketball is all they have known and they wouldn't know what to do with themselves if they didn't have it in their life. It provides structure, a sense of purpose and a place they are familiar with. They get told where to be, what to do and how to do it.

They are both smart guys who will work it out when retirement from playing come calling and already have some things in the background to prepare them for the transition, but I have made a note to check in constantly when the time comes as what Wortho is experiencing would be all too common. I hope he pulls through it and that anyone else feeling the same way has the courage to speak up.

Probably more career transition than post-career? Or, if the money situation is sorted, transition from career to hobby or lifestyle change.

I imagine it is definitely a break for athletes who go from spending every day with 10-20 teammates/coaches/support stuff, to hitting the reality of a desk job (maybe solo or in a small team), or being a bit listless and aimless.

Worth speaking out about for sure.