By Elliott West
“There’s obviously still lingering things in my head but I think it’s one of them things with mental health – you never really know what’s going on. You’re just sort of plodding through life, as we all are”.
Gary Wilson
Introduction
Snooker has been highlighted in recent months for players opening up about their mental health issues. Of course, a wide spectrum exists in these various illnesses but in snooker, the primary cause seems to be depression. An example can be seen in the open and frank interviews Mark Selby gave recently of having a long issue of not being able to come to terms with his father’s passing when he was a child. I can empathise with him because when I lost my mother when I was 30, it is very easy as a man to keep your grief contained. However, this raw grief can often consume you and cause you to be become withdrawn, dwell on the past and blame yourself for something that ultimately was impossible to control.
The Black Dog
I have spoken in detail about Mark and others in a recent piece. So I want to move on to another player, Gary Wilson. On the surface, Wilson has always seemed a jovial character and dedicated family man, putting in numerous hours of practice to achieve a very promising career. However, beyond this exterior, some might not know that a year ago, Wilson was suffering badly from depression. So much so that couldn’t find the strength to get out of bed. Winston Churchill called it his ‘black dog’ but Gary has seemed to muzzle this metaphorical dog by speaking out about his issues. Perhaps the most cathartic way of starting on the road to recovery.
‘The Tyneside Terror’ as he become known in the world of snooker, first spoke out about his condition last year after an irrational shot choice against John Higgins in the Championship League. Missing the intended pot, he scattered the balls around the table, what turned out to be a coded cry for help. Thankfully he is now in a better place and doesn’t recognise the person he was then. Speaking out and seeking help have massively helped him, in a game where it is very difficult to decipher the blurred lines between your own mental well-being and the emotions that snooker naturally inflicts on you in the heat of a match.
When you seek help, it’s like a brick wall is smashed down before your very eyes. Counselling works wonders by breaking down all your issues into segments and tackling each intensively in each session. Yes, there are a number of tears and many a used tissue but no medicine is meant to be nice. There is always a sting in the tail but the bite is never worse than the bark and the results are striking as can be seen in one of Gary’s recent quotes on reflecting on his prior depressive state of mind :
“I found that speaking out about it gives you a little percentage of something because you’re getting people coming up to you, saying “I was really inspired by what you said” or “it helps me, and I’m in this situation,” and you actually realise there’s people in even worse situations”.
Gary Wilson
Afterthoughts
Mental health is no longer a stigma as it was in the past and sporting figures speaking out only encourages others to seek help for their own mental health issues. Medication has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and people can live a normal life, often free from their mental turmoil. Snooker thankfully now has trained staff to approach in your time of need and signpost you to the professional help required. Mark Selby, Gary Wilson and others are now in a better place and well on the road to recovery but it could have been a very different situation if they hadn’t made that initial cry for help by speaking out.
