Taunted by opposition fans and players alike 鈥� the professional footballer intent on giving his depression the red card
09 May 2018
Depression and anxiety affect people in every walk of life. Professional footballer David Cox is no exception.
Periods of anger when he was younger got David into trouble. However, ‘punching things and breaking things’ never made him feel any better.
Instead, David began self-harming.
Footballer David Cox opens up about his mental health issues
He has now found ways to better manage his condition.
David opened up about how his depression and how he is now one of a growing number of professional footballers seeking help for mental health issues.
He says he faced a lot of confusion from people who couldn’t comprehend what he had to be depressed about, given that he had achieved a lot of people’s dream: playing football for a living.
This meant , who used his struggles with mental health to taunt him.
For David to open up required a lot of trust in the person to whom he was talking. He explained that his club manager at Peterhead and the player liaison at the Scottish PFA provided him the support that helped him to talk openly about his mental health.
Players are now finding more chances to open up, with many managers now aware of the effects that mental health issues can have on their players.
‘It was touch and go if I'd make it or not’
David also spoke to 大象传媒 Scotland’s Chris McLaughlin about how his mental health struggles have affected him.
‘Rival fans told me to go and hang myself’
And he also shared his story with 大象传媒 Three.
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If you, or someone you know, have been affected by mental health issues, these organisations may be able to help.
In My Mind 鈥� four short films about mental health
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David Cox, a professional footballer, discusses his ongoing mental health issues
David has experienced bouts of severe depression since he was a teenager.
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Actor Gavin Mitchell shares his experiences of anxiety and depression
Gavin experienced anxiety as a young man and bouts of depression later in life.
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Misha Hart is a young model who talks openly about managing her mental health
Misha has suffered from anxiety and depression since her teens.
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UK Paralympian Samatha Kinghorn discusses her personal resilience after the accident that paralysed her
Samantha was inspired by the people around her in hospital as a young teenager.
Mental health issues in football
Links between mental health problems or mental illness with violence are a popular misconception.
People with mental health problems are overwhelmingly more likely to harm themselves than others.
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