Jockeys and mental health: Delving into the unspoken world of horse racing

According to Common Mental Disorders among Irish Jockeys: Prevalence and Risk Factors, based on self-report questionnaires, 35 percent of jockeys met the threshold for depression, 27 percent for anxiety, 19 percent for psychological distress, and 61 percent had an excessive intake of alcohol.

Few disciplines require their participants to make weight on a daily basis, as is the case for jockeys. Most do their jobs while dehydrated and followed by two ambulances. Most do not make a comfortable living. At the severe end, you are a fall away from the grave. More immediate is that you are a lengthy injury away from the scrapheap. Picture: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

The headline that emerged from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Body-funded research study carried out by Waterford Institute of Technology PhD student Lewis King on mental health in jockeys was that eight out of 10 met the criteria for a common mental disorder.

According to Common Mental Disorders among Irish Jockeys: Prevalence and Risk Factors, based on self-report questionnaires, 35% of jockeys met the threshold for depression, 27% for anxiety, 19% for psychological distress, and 61% had an excessive intake of alcohol.