Clarke Carlisle says communication is key to tackling mental health problems effectively
Wednesday 10 May 2017 15:41, UK
Mental health campaigner and former PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle has urged those struggling to cope with the demands of life to talk to someone.
Carlisle, whose own mental health struggles are well documented, joined Sky Sports News HQ during Mental Health Awareness Week to discuss his journey and offer advice to people finding it difficult to manage their mental health.
"Every human being is susceptible [to mental health problems]," Carlisle told Sky Sports News HQ.
"If you have gone so far as to be struggling with mental health issues, you are likely at the stage where the illness is telling you that no one cares, no one can help and no one wants to help - but that is rubbish.
"The very thing you need to do to start that journey is the very thing the illness is stopping you from doing. You don't have to tell everyone but it is imperative that you tell someone and start that journey of rehabilitation."
The former QPR, Leeds, and Burnley defender has twice attempted to take his own life and says better support mechanisms need to be in place so that others do not have to suffer in silence.
He said: "I've attempted suicide twice in my journey [and] both of those times being because I was suffering from depression.
"The first was after a traumatic incident and the second was after suffering from a prolonged period of pressure. I wasn't treating it in the right way and I wasn't managing it in the right way.
"I wasn't becoming self-aware of my own mental health journey so I got to the crisis management stage.
"This is where I believe the reporting needs to change. Instead of asking why this has happened, we need start asking what support mechanisms are in place, what early identification mechanisms are in place, and is that person adequately surrounded in order to have a full holistic recovery."
More footballers than ever are using the PFA's dedicated counselling services, head of welfare at the players' union Michael Bennet told Sky Sports News HQ on Monday.
But Carlisle insists there needs to be better use of pre-emptive strategies to ensure players can address the issue early rather than when problems becoming severe.
"There are good support mechanisms in place run by the PFA but invariably they're crisis management," he added.
"What we need to change is the early intervention and people's awareness of their journey. If we can have support mechanisms earlier in the journey [then] it might only take a chat or a cuddle rather than getting to that end where you need specific professional help."
Carlisle continues to monitor his own wellbeing and emphasised the need for people to take a similar approach to their mental health as they would with their physical health.
"It's like any other ailment," he said.
"I now focus on the management of my own mental health. Just like I might go for a run and have a look at my diet if it was my physical health, now I ensure I have the support mechanisms around me so that I'm prepared for all the things that might happen in the day."
