To mark World Mental Health Day we are pleased to republish this original article from May 2014 on the powerful way in which sport and individuals can make such a difference.
Ireland has the highest suicide rate in Europe for young women and the second highest for young men. Last year 800 people ended their own lives, tearing apart families, friendships and communities.
In Galway alone so far this year 22 people have lost hope to such an extent that they felt there was no alternative, five in one single weekend earlier this month.
We are a great nation for talking ourselves up as a great nation to live in, to raise families in, to do business in. We are not so good at addressing when things are not so good.
Yesterday the Gaelic Players Association launched an emotional and mental wellness campaign entitled ‘We Wear More.’ It was the most powerful and perhaps most important launch of a campaign that I have ever had the privilege to attend.
Cry
Conor Cusack was 19 when he curled up in the corner of the building where he worked and began to cry. He had lost interest in people, in his hurling, in his life. He wrote about it last year and has since travelled the country living the Jim Breen motto that ‘It is OK not to feel OK. It is absolutely OK to talk about it.’
Yesterday he shared the story of a man in his mid 40’s. Beautiful wife, three lovely daughters, a mother and father for whom he was a hero. He had a great job, no financial pressures, the perfect life as most of us would judge it.
But in the midst of such a picture postcard life, the black cloud of depression was gathering. He felt that the success was undeserved. The doubts about his own worth and his place within the social group around him grew unchecked and in his solitary world he made a decision to end his life.
Instead of his bag for work one morning he put a rope into his car, bade his farewells as normal and drove away from home.
Hope
Jim Breen, the ‘secret millionaire’ who founded Cycle against Suicide happened to be on the radio that morning and something in what he said about hope, about opening up, about stepping back from a final decision struck a chord.
In Cusack’s words, something cracked and a chink of light came through. The man called his Dad and asked him to come and talk. It saved his life. It meant that today a wife still has a husband, three girls still have a father, a mum and dad still have a son.
It was a powerful, emotional and incredibly important story. If ever you have the opportunity to hear Conor Cusack speak in person about mental wellness, or if you have a son, daughter or friend that you want to ensure never goes through the dark terror of depression alone, bring them along and let them see that there is always someone to talk to.
The Gaelic Players Association was founded in frustration and developed an early reputation as a bunch of young players, blessed with talent and revered in their communities who were never satisfied and wanted to turn the GAA into a pay-for-play organisation. If that is your view of what they represent today, you are wrong.
Leadership
Under the leadership of people like Dessie Farrell, Donal Og Cusack and many more they have become an organisation that does real good, not only for its members but in wider society.
The GAA and the GPA have worked together in recent years, to build a partnership that can help shine light on what the association is capable of as a central part of sport in Ireland and of communities in every parish, town and county on the island.
The We Wear More campaign is primarily aimed at helping inter county players recognise that it is OK to talk about issues they may feel they have had to face alone. Issues of pressure, of addiction, of depression. Issues that many might brush aside saying ‘it’ll be grand, sure the game on Sunday will put all that out of his mind.’
The campaign though can be and needs to be more. It needs to spread through every club in the country, through every sport in the country, to every home.
First Step
Sport has an ability to reach the heart as well as the head. It can do so better than most public service commercials, leaflets or well intentioned interventions. It is a way in which a first step can be taken towards a young man, a young woman, a son, a daughter or a friend allowing a chink of light into their mind. It can save a precious life.
Don’t wait for the GPA or the GAA to come knocking on your door and ask you to watch the campaign video. Go to your own club, your own friends and ask them to watch. Ask them to look out for someone who may be hiding behind a smile but who may be closer to the edge than you would ever imagine.
Nothing is more important than life.
Visit the We Are More website here.
Read Conor Cusack’s Powerful original blog post here.
Watch the video for the campaign, produced by Atomic Sport below.
