Author Topic: Kevin Love opens up about his experience with panic attacks and therapy...  (Read 1229 times)

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Offline nickagneta

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Have had multiple panic attacks. It feels like you're dying. Props to Love and DeRozan for coming forward and letting the world know about their mental illnesses. Its tough to be public about such things. I should know. I am very public about my own mental illness.

Online green_bballers13

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Whether it was intentional or not, I think Love and Derozan should both get credit for using their position to open up a dialogue about mental health. The mind is one of the strongest tools, for better or worse. It is not obvious to everyone when someone is struggling with any number of mental issues. Their confessions might help someone that has known something is wrong but hasn't been able to figure it out. Like anyone facing any type of demon, acknowledgment of an issue is paramount.

Offline rocknrollforyoursoul

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This is a great essay from Love. For nearly 20 years I've battled depression and anxiety, and through it all I've learned a lot—about myself and about life. My thanks to Love and DeRozan for engaging this issue, a TP to the OP for posting this, and I invite anyone who feels like talking about any of this stuff in a more private setting to send me a private message at any time.
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Online Moranis

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Online Roy H.

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I’m on medication for anxiety, which affects me to varying degrees. I’ve only had one panic attack, while lifting weights my senior year. It came out of nowhere, and was completely debilitating.


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Offline Snakehead

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I have anxiety and depression issues and I didn't deal with them for close to 15 years or so (I'm 29 now) with the kind of thinking he details so I identify and applaud him for writing this.  The DeRozan piece from a bit ago was a great as well.  It's really huge just to say things out loud and be real about how you are feeling for someone who has been holding things like that back.  Once I was open about these things, it was huge for me and a giant relief.  Before that it was so bad I didn't even tell the girl I loved about it basically at all, meanwhile I was at a total mental rock bottom, so that's how repressed it was.  That and treatment that works for you are huge keys to overcoming things.

Good to see.  We have to talk openly about these issues.  An athlete using their stage for this matters for awareness and also, like Love details, to break down any barriers of perceived weakness to dealing with these things or admitting you have issues.   The "manliness" or "strong" ideas that repress these things culturally in ways that he speaks about of course tie closely to sports.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2018, 07:28:08 PM by Snakehead »
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Offline KGs Knee

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Kudos to anyone who is courageous enough to openly talk about their mental health issues.

Online hpantazo

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Kudos to anyone who is courageous enough to openly talk about their mental health issues.

Offline nickagneta

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I think its important for athletes to lead the way in bringing out awareness of mental health. Athletes are usually perceived as well tuned, physically enhanced and talented people. Indestructible in some eyes. But too often, athletes don't go public with their mental illnesses for fear of being labeled as weak, nuts, crazy, etc. And the results, often times becomes disastrous for these individuals after they get out of the limelight.

The more people that make the public aware of the destructiveness of mental health issues, the better. Who better to lead that than people who are physically elite but suffer mentally.

Mental illness isn't the end of the world. It can be controlled. You can lead normal lives while suffering. It doesn't mean you crazy or nuts or weak or lesser of a person. You just have to be honest about yourself, seek help, get the right meds and/or therapies and you're no differet than anyone else.

I'm bipolar. I suffer from seasonal depressive disorder and have social anxiety disorder. But I am self aware and know what I have to do to be healthy. I am no different than anyone else who has a disease like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, or any of dozens of other physical ailments. If you take care of yourself, you'll live a normal and hopefully long life.

Offline playdream

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I’m on medication for anxiety, which affects me to varying degrees. I’ve only had one panic attack, while lifting weights my senior year. It came out of nowhere, and was completely debilitating.
You should go see chinese medicine doctors, many of my patients got rid of western medicine after several months of treatment and greatly improved their live quality