I was alerted to the story on the 97.3 radio brekkie show this morning, where one of the announcers Robyn, intro'd the story about Ian Thorpe getting rehab with
'sad news this morning with revelations that Ian Thorpe is in rehab for depression and alcohol addiction'.They then went on to discuss 'how sad this was' and they got on an expert to draw causative links between his 'failed olympic comeback' and his now 'depressed' condition.
First up - it's not 'sad' that he's in rehab. It's fantastic that he's in rehab and getting the help he needs.
Second, there's no one 'cause' of depression or substance addiction. And to discuss it in such ways, such banal, 'this-happened-so-therefore-that-happened-and-how-he's-depressed' ways, just perpetuates the myths that makes it so hard for people to deal with any kind of mental illness in this society.
An article on the news.com.au site described his failed comeback and his previous battles with mental illness and alcohol abuse 'as the perfect storm' for depression. This is mildly better than describing his rehab as 'sad' ... I still don't like it though as it perpetuates the 'weakness-myth' we have around depression.
Sad ... sad is when someone dies.
Sad ... sad is when someone is facing terminal illness.
It's fantastic when someone, through early detection of cancer, is successfully treated and beats the disease.
And it's awesome when someone recognises they need professional assistance to deal with the chemical imbalance in their brain that is depression and any associated (or not) addictions.
Depression is an illness. Not a 'self-imposed beat-up' because the affected person didn't achieve what they set out to do.
IF Ian Thorpe's, or anyone else's, hospital stay for rehab needs to be discussed in a public forum, can it at least be done in useful, supportive way - giving light to the issue and rallying public support to the person involved. I mean, if he were about to swim the race of his life, the radio announcers would be suggesting we tweet him, or leave notes on encouragement on their website. But in this case, his story was used as trashy gossip story, thinly veiled as a voyeuristic discussion as to 'why elite sports stars are prone to such predicaments'. FFS.
Today, Beyond Blue's CEO, Kate Carnell led the way in the kind of support I would like to see ...
If these reports are correct, it is a very brave move from Ian and I commend him for it. Far too many people, and particularly men, never take action to get appropriate treatment for depression and can spend their whole lives battling it alone. Also, far too many people self-medicate with alcohol, which may provide temporary relief, but can do enormous damage to a person’s wellbeing in the long-run.Yes, it's her job. And she does her job beautifully. She demonstrates in just those few lines how to appropriately view, discuss and support someone who is battling mental illness.
By the end of the day reports suggested that Thorpe was actually in hospital for shoulder surgery, not depression at all. Obviously, just like the first report that he was in rehab, we don't know - unless we're part of his inner circle (I'm not, and if you are, I don't want to know, it's none of my business). But the point remains the same - we have got to stop thinking 'it's sad' that someone is in rehab for mental illness. Full stop.
If you or someone you care about needs advice about depression, anxiety or any form of mental illness, there is a Beyond Blue Support Service is available by phone 24/7 on 1300 22 4636 or via web chat (4pm-10pm AEDST) via http://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support
