Former great football player Thierry Henry has opened up about his mental health, talking about depression.
- Ex-footballer Thierry Henry spoke about his mental health in the podcast The Diary of a CEO.
- “Throughout my career I must have been depressed. Did I know? No. Did I do anything about it? Not at all. But I adapted” , he explained.
- Characterized depressive disorder affects all ages of life, and concerns approximately 15 to 20% of the general population.
Like other great athletes such as Paul Pogba, Camille Lacourt and Simone Biles, ex-footballer Thierry Henry spoke about his mental health in the podcast The Diary of a CEO. “Throughout my career I must have been depressed. Did I know it? No. Did I do anything about it? Not at all. But I adapted” , he first explained. The international star also reported going through periods where she cried “almost every day”, like when she coached the Montreal team at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Depression of Thierry Henry: “The tears came by themselves”
“Something like this had to happen to me to understand vulnerability, empathy, crying. That emotions are normal, but you shouldn’t let them overwhelm you,” he says. “The tears came on their own. Maybe they had been there for a very long time. It was weird, but in a good way. I couldn’t hide it”, he continues.
The coach of the French youth team also spoke of one of the causes of his unhappiness, namely his relationship with his father. “The first time he held me, my father told me, ‘This baby will be a great football player.’ From then on, I was programmed to succeed. My father took total control of my body and it was difficult”, he remembers. “I knew that if I wanted to make my father happy, it was only with football. (…) I always sought his approval. (…) So much so that until there Not so long ago, my whole life was dedicated to pleasing others.” he analyzes with hindsight.
What is depression from which suffers Thierry Henry ?
Depression is a mental illness that requires consulting a psychiatrist. Some forms do not respond to antidepressants, therefore falling into the category of “resistant depression” or “chronic depression”.
Characterized depressive disorder affects all ages of life and concerns approximately 15 to 20% of the general population.
“A depressive episode must be distinguished from ordinary fluctuations in mood. In the case of a depressive episode, the depressed mood is present most of the day, every day and for at least two weeks,” specifies the WHO.
Other symptoms are also present, including:
- Difficulty concentrating;
- Feelings of excessive guilt or low self-esteem;
- Despair about the future;
- Suicidal thoughts;
- Sleep disorders;
- Fluctuations in appetite or weight;
- Severe fatigue or loss of energy.
