Ian Thorpe opens up about his battle with depression
Ian Thorpe has opened up about his battle with depression, revealing the struggle he went through after his battle was made known to the public.
The Australian swimmer revealed his struggles with depression in his autobiography This Is Me, but he has said he wasn’t prepared for the aftermath of that decision.
“I didn’t realise the toll it would take on me,” he said.
“I wasn’t prepared to then talk about being depressed with people ... constantly going over the same detail," Ian added.
“If there’s one way that really is guaranteed to make you depressed, it’s talking about being depressed.”
However, Thorpe has said he has worked really hard to feel well and embrace life again.
“I work on my mental health daily,” he said. “I’m not fearful of going into that kind of state again yet knowing my history, the likelihood is that it will happen again," Ian said.
“But each time I’m faced with that, I have more tools to be able to manage that.”
One thing Thorpe has found to make a difference in his life is allowing himself one day to feel down before calling his loved ones to ask for help.
“Once I’ve taken that control over it, usually by the time 24 hours is up, I don’t need the friends to come,” he said.
Thorpe has battled mental health issues since he was a teenager and highlighted how diagnosis can be quite difficult when athletes are training hard.
“The thing that becomes quite complicated in sport is working out why you’re exhausted,” he said.
“Is it because you have happened to have swum 120km in the last week? Or is it because you’re depressed?”
Thorpe believes it is important for people to encourage an open, diverse and accepting society, workplace and community.
“Collectively when we remove some of the dignity that is in people’s lives and in their roles, we actually weaken the entire group,” he said.
The 35-year-old said his own career was testament to the fact that working as a team makes people stronger.
“For me my best performances in my career were in relays,” Ian said.
“When you calculate my times in relays I should always have been able to perform better in individual races," the swimmer reflected.
“But I could not find that for myself the same way I can find it for my mates.”
If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, please contact Lifeline 131 114 or beyondblue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.org.au.