Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs Chinmaya IAS Academy – Current Affairs
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Sometimes my greatest challenge was just getting out of bed; compared to that, winning a gold medal was pretty easy, says Olympic swimming champion From winning 23 gold medals and setting 39 world records to battling a strong urge to end his life, Olympic champion Michael Phelps has come a long way. The 33-year-old swimmer is now a staunch voice against fighting stigma around mental illness. On Wednesday, he shared his personal battle with depression and anxiety at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) organised by the Qatar Foundation in Doha. “When depression hits, it can feel like nothing really matters. Sometimes my greatest challenge was just getting out of bed.
Compared to that, winning a gold medal was pretty easy,” said the athlete, addressing healthcare experts, innovators and policymakers from more than 100 countries who had gathered at the Qatar National Convention Centre. According to Mr. Phelps, it was in 2014 when he hit the worst depression spell: “I didn’t want to be alive. I was so down that I spent five days in my room and quite frankly, I didn’t want to get out. I saw myself as worthless.” Asking for help But having reached the rock bottom, Mr. Phelps decided to ask for help. “It was one of the best decisions of my life. As I started opening up and started talking about my mental health challenges, I thought of strength, not vulnerability.
I realised that it’s okay not to be okay,” he said. As an athlete, Mr. Phelps was trained to be strong, not show any signs of weakness and push through obstacles. He said that he had begun masking his depression and anxiety. “In the end, I realised it was okay to sit down with a therapist and talk. It wasn’t easy for me but it was necessary. The decision to seek professional help saved my life. That’s why I am standing in front of you today,” said Mr. Phelps. Insurmountable barrier “I understand how it can seem like an insurmountable barrier to getting help and support that is needed. But in sharing our journey I would like others to know that you are not alone and you do not need to suffer in silence,” he said, adding that he wishes to have more and more people talking about their mental health struggles and opening up.
Public health priority Mr. Phelps’ talk was followed by the release of a report, Addressing Anxiety and Depression: A Whole System Approach . “There is a fundamental necessity to recognise anxiety and depression as a public health priority and to include it as part of universal healthcare programs, supported by relevant policies, funding and implementation plans,” the report states, adding that countries need to consider a three-step approach: determining the state of readiness and capacity of the national mental health system, identifying key entry points for investment and developing sustainable capacity and plans to support the expansion of programmes. “There is no health without mental health. Our report stresses on that”, said Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the authors of the report.
