Sports groups team up to give depression the boot

As well as captaining League of Ireland club Bohemians, Owen Heary also coaches young players on giving depression the boot.

Owen, who trains the under-19 team, has been helping young players deal with problems at home and at school as well as on the pitch.

Yesterday, the Professional Footballers’ Association of Ireland (PFAI) and the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association announced their joint partnership with Lean on Me, the depression awareness campaign.

Owen said he was delighted to be supporting the Lean on Me campaign because he found younger players in particular, opened up and shared their problems in a sporting environment.

“The campaign allows people like me to find better ways of helping those with problems,” he said.

Owen recalled a young player who needed more help than he could give so he contacted the PFAI and they arranged for a psychologist to see him.

“That player has been doing great ever since. He told me it was like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.”

Owen said he was always anxious to ensure the lads he trained kept healthy minds and maintained a positive outlook. “The last thing I want is a young lad going home and finding he has no one to turn to or give a dig-out,” he said.

Owen also keeps in regular contact with the lads’ parents and teachers so that any problems that might be emerging can be nipped in the bud.

A Lean on Me survey of 250 people actively involved in sport found 45% believed they had experienced depression in the past.

Almost one in seven (69%) said encouragement from friends or family would persuade them to seek help if they were depressed.

However, just over three-quarters (76%) who believed they had experienced depression agreed that a social stigma surrounded the illness.

A booklet, Lean on Me — to Win, has also been launched providing useful information on depression and techniques that anyone can adopt to encourage positive thinking and a healthy mind.

PFAI general secretary, Stephen McGuinness, said some players were reluctant to seek help for a problem because they believe it might show a weakness that will affect their selection or career.

“Just as you team helps you to succeed on the pitch they are also there to help off the pitch,” said Mr McGuinness.

The Lean on Me campaign is also supported by Aware, European Depression Association, World Federation of Mental Health and Lundbeck Ireland.

* For more, log onto www.leanonme.net.