Lennon opens up on depression

Celtic manager Neil Lennon has spoken candidly regarding his personal battle with depression.

Former Northern Ireland international Lennon was diagnosed with the illness during his playing days.

The midfielder, who made the majority of his career appearances for Crewe Alexandra, Leicester City and Celtic, had been reluctant to open up to other footballers, saying ‘there’s always been a stigma with depression.’

Lennon’s comments come during a growing public dialogue about the illness sparked by the death of Wales manager Garry Speed, who committed suicide last month.

“I remember Stan Collymore was scoffed at,” Lennon told the BBC, referring to the former Liverpool striker’s struggle with depression.

“It’s only when you go through something like that you realise what people do go through. It’s not a sign of laziness, or nothing to be ashamed of, it’s a very difficult situation to deal with.”

“People say, ‘go on holiday, ‘go and have a rest’, but you take (the depression) with you.”

“The best thing I’ve found over the years to cope with it is to talk about it, get professional help and if there is a tablet you have to take that suits you, then do that.”

“It’s a fantastic feeling when you come out the other side of it and it’s a place you don’t want to go to again.”

“I would implore anybody out there, footballers or from any other walk of life, if you are struggling or are feeling depressed – it’s not a question of feeling down, this thing stays with you 24/7, the low mood, the anxiety, the stress – just go and speak to somebody about it, whether it be a loved one or a professional person, and it halves the problem for you.”

“It’s a very macho environment (professional football) and you don’t want to give anything away. You have a group of highly charged men who might take the mickey out of you.”

Lennon said after opening up to friends about his struggle, he was surprised to discover how much support was available to him.

“It’s such a common thing – people don’t want to talk about it,” he said.

“You feel you don’t want to burden other people with your problems. Particularly with a loved one, (but) you can do that because they want you to get better as quickly as possible.”

“When I got diagnosed with it and I started telling a few close friends about it they actually came to me and said, ‘Look, I kept this from you but I was depressed as well.'”

“Don’t hide away from it – please don’t hide away from it. Don’t go and lock yourself in a room because that won’t help.”