Nick's Collingwood Bulletin Board

Culprit wrote:There's no doubt Beams has issues and in saying that he will receive the best help and support money can buy. The average citizen would struggle to get any assistance. So yes feel for him but don't make out he's the only person having an issue. If he was Joe Smith playing Country Football somewhere he wouldn't rate a mention in any news service.

Well of course not, and neither would you or anyone else on a Collingwood bulletin board be having this conversation. What a weird straw man!

Otherwise, the notion that "the average citizen would struggle to get any assistance" is pretty bizarre. I presume you’re familiar with the existence of mental health care plans? I’m not saying it’s always easy to get treatment or that there are no problems with access, but using this as some kind of justification to have a go at Beams seems pretty uncalled for.

There is a real sense of disappointment here that the club didn’t do it’s due diligence when Beams was pursued and it seems to me that they got Blinded by the emotion of the ‘prodigal son returns’ scenario.

He’s gone for this year. Let’s hope he can come back and make a meaningful contribution next year. He owe’s this club that he supposedly loves something. I’ve no doubt that CFC will be leaving no stone unturned to do everything it can for him in the coming months.

I don't see it that way at all. He owes us nothing. We made a choice to pick him up again, and all we can ask of him is that he trains diligently and performs as best he can like any other player on the list. It's not his fault that he is struggling with these issues, and the least I would expect is that the club would support him through this, whether or not he lines up for us next year.

One in five men will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime, and one in eight will experience depression. Alarmingly, one in six Australians are currently experiencing both. Grief only ads to to the stress.

What we generally see in the community is young men self medicating with drugs and alcohol and often also with increased risk taking. AFL players cannot use these maladaptive coping mechanisms that their peers utilise for obvious reasons, so they can often struggle in silence. Whatever Dayne is going through, the fact he is willing to share such an important story with the world is impressive. Yes he has support of family and club, but what is important here is by speaking out about his current experience, he normalises it for others. This in turn removes the stigma, which often encourages others to seek help. It might not be my loved one he helps, but it might be yours. Nonetheless, what he is doing is encouraging a change in perception and acceptance for depression and anxiety, not dissimilar to what Neale Daniher has done for MND.

With statistics like those above in the general community, it is safe to say that its well and truly possible that over 100 AFL players are currently experiencing what Dayne is. Quite eye opening especially as many see the life of an AFL player as privileged.

In any case, I wish Dayne the best in his recovery and if we see him grace the game in the future, well, we'll all better for it. If he doesn't, hopefully he and his family will be better for it.

Whilst a mental health RN myself, these statistics mentioned above can be verified on the Beyond Blue website.

Apologies for the lengthy first post.

Go Pies!

warburton lad wrote:I just want the best outcome for Beams and his family.

It (depression/mental health issues) is a killer.

I love the Magpies and those who wear the jumper, but all of that pales into insignificance when one looks at the bigger picture which is the welfare of a fellow human being.

As one who suffers from depression, I can empathise with Beams; I cannot remember what it is to laugh and be happy some days even though I know I am loved by Mrs Warburton Lad, my children and my grandchild.

There is an old French saying, "When I am happy, it is hard to remember when I was sad; when I am sad, it is hard to remember being happy".

As one 'broken' Magpie to another, I wish and pray that Beams gets back to a state of happiness and contentedness with his life.

For me, at least, this is far more important than whether he returns to the playing field to delight us with his skills as an elite footballer.

Floreat Pica, everybody.

Thank you Warburton Lad for this heartfelt (and to me, heartening) post.

David wrote:I don't see it that way at all. He owes us nothing. We made a choice to pick him up again, and all we can ask of him is that he trains diligently and performs as best he can like any other player on the list. It's not his fault that he is struggling with these issues, and the least I would expect is that the club would support him through this, whether or not he lines up for us next year.

Spot on David.

dmov73 wrote:One in five men will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime, and one in eight will experience depression. Alarmingly, one in six Australians are currently experiencing both. Grief only ads to to the stress.

What we generally see in the community is young men self medicating with drugs and alcohol and often also with increased risk taking. AFL players cannot use these maladaptive coping mechanisms that their peers utilise for obvious reasons, so they can often struggle in silence. Whatever Dayne is going through, the fact he is willing to share such an important story with the world is impressive. Yes he has support of family and club, but what is important here is by speaking out about his current experience, he normalises it for others. This in turn removes the stigma, which often encourages others to seek help. It might not be my loved one he helps, but it might be yours. Nonetheless, what he is doing is encouraging a change in perception and acceptance for depression and anxiety, not dissimilar to what Neale Daniher has done for MND.

With statistics like those above in the general community, it is safe to say that its well and truly possible that over 100 AFL players are currently experiencing what Dayne is. Quite eye opening especially as many see the life of an AFL player as privileged.

In any case, I wish Dayne the best in his recovery and if we see him grace the game in the future, well, we'll all better for it. If he doesn't, hopefully he and his family will be better for it.

Whilst a mental health RN myself, these statistics mentioned above can be verified on the Beyond Blue website.

Apologies for the lengthy first post.

Go Pies!

No apologies necessary in my view. Many thanks dmov73 for your insight and the presentation of some facts.

Culprit wrote:There's no doubt Beams has issues and in saying that he will receive the best help and support money can buy. The average citizen would struggle to get any assistance. So yes feel for him but don't make out he's the only person having an issue. If he was Joe Smith playing Country Football somewhere he wouldn't rate a mention in any news service.

??? No-one here has made that assumption at all! In fact, many are trying to point out that depression is genuinely suffered by people across many walks of life.

dmov73 wrote: Whatever Dayne is going through, the fact he is willing to share such an important story with the world is impressive. Yes he has support of family and club, but what is important here is by speaking out about his current experience, he normalises it for others. This in turn removes the stigma, which often encourages others to seek help.

Darcy Moore was interviewed at length on On the Mark last night and emphasized just this point.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-20 ... 022b69a462

dmov73 wrote:One in five men will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime, and one in eight will experience depression. Alarmingly, one in six Australians are currently experiencing both. Grief only ads to to the stress.

What we generally see in the community is young men self medicating with drugs and alcohol and often also with increased risk taking. AFL players cannot use these maladaptive coping mechanisms that their peers utilise for obvious reasons, so they can often struggle in silence. Whatever Dayne is going through, the fact he is willing to share such an important story with the world is impressive. Yes he has support of family and club, but what is important here is by speaking out about his current experience, he normalises it for others. This in turn removes the stigma, which often encourages others to seek help. It might not be my loved one he helps, but it might be yours. Nonetheless, what he is doing is encouraging a change in perception and acceptance for depression and anxiety, not dissimilar to what Neale Daniher has done for MND.

With statistics like those above in the general community, it is safe to say that its well and truly possible that over 100 AFL players are currently experiencing what Dayne is. Quite eye opening especially as many see the life of an AFL player as privileged.

In any case, I wish Dayne the best in his recovery and if we see him grace the game in the future, well, we'll all better for it. If he doesn't, hopefully he and his family will be better for it.

Whilst a mental health RN myself, these statistics mentioned above can be verified on the Beyond Blue website.

Apologies for the lengthy first post.

Go Pies!

Do you mean depression, or clinical depression?

I assume that as a Registered Nurse you know the difference.

warburton lad wrote:I just want the best outcome for Beams and his family.

It (depression/mental health issues) is a killer.

I love the Magpies and those who wear the jumper, but all of that pales into insignificance when one looks at the bigger picture which is the welfare of a fellow human being.

As one who suffers from depression, I can empathise with Beams; I cannot remember what it is to laugh and be happy some days even though I know I am loved by Mrs Warburton Lad, my children and my grandchild.

There is an old French saying, "When I am happy, it is hard to remember when I was sad; when I am sad, it is hard to remember being happy".

As one 'broken' Magpie to another, I wish and pray that Beams gets back to a state of happiness and contentedness with his life.

For me, at least, this is far more important than whether he returns to the playing field to delight us with his skills as an elite footballer.

Floreat Pica, everybody.

as always WL- thank you!

Warburton Lad I salute you.

Your posts are always insightful and authentic; none more than this one.

Thanks for sharing your personal story with us and for helping others better understand the seriousness of depression.

David wrote:I don't see it that way at all. He owes us nothing. We made a choice to pick him up again, and all we can ask of him is that he trains diligently and performs as best he can like any other player on the list. It's not his fault that he is struggling with these issues, and the least I would expect is that the club would support him through this, whether or not he lines up for us next year.

I disagree. He owes us. He’d probably say the same thing.

Woods wrote:

dmov73 wrote:One in five men will experience an anxiety condition in their lifetime, and one in eight will experience depression. Alarmingly, one in six Australians are currently experiencing both. Grief only ads to to the stress.

What we generally see in the community is young men self medicating with drugs and alcohol and often also with increased risk taking. AFL players cannot use these maladaptive coping mechanisms that their peers utilise for obvious reasons, so they can often struggle in silence. Whatever Dayne is going through, the fact he is willing to share such an important story with the world is impressive. Yes he has support of family and club, but what is important here is by speaking out about his current experience, he normalises it for others. This in turn removes the stigma, which often encourages others to seek help. It might not be my loved one he helps, but it might be yours. Nonetheless, what he is doing is encouraging a change in perception and acceptance for depression and anxiety, not dissimilar to what Neale Daniher has done for MND.

With statistics like those above in the general community, it is safe to say that its well and truly possible that over 100 AFL players are currently experiencing what Dayne is. Quite eye opening especially as many see the life of an AFL player as privileged.

In any case, I wish Dayne the best in his recovery and if we see him grace the game in the future, well, we'll all better for it. If he doesn't, hopefully he and his family will be better for it.

Whilst a mental health RN myself, these statistics mentioned above can be verified on the Beyond Blue website.

Apologies for the lengthy first post.

Go Pies!

Do you mean depression, or clinical depression?

I assume that as a Registered Nurse you know the difference.

Woods: There are a number of depressive disorders characterised by their severity. The word 'depression' as used in my post, is used to encapsulate them without necessarily being specific. I don't really need to specifically quote the DSM and its clinical criteria for assessment. It goes without saying that Daynes depression is not Post Natal, but of course, I didn't need to quantify that did I?
As I stated, feel free to verify by checking out the Beyond Blue website. It is an excellent educational tool that could help to clarify any misunderstandings you may have regarding the subject.
In any case, if that is the only issue you have with my post I can live with that.

Long time Collingwood supporter, but never posted here before. This is such an important social issue I just wanted to say a few things that might keep the discussion going about mental health issues.

I don't know Dayne Beams personally, although he will always be a VIP by being a Collingwood premiership player. He must be going through hell right now and I wish him all the very best for the future, whether he plays footy again or not. Just get your life sorted out mate. We're with you!

My wife's story is a harrowing one. She had a breakdown at work last year after some bullying by a new manager. Took time out on stress leave and through Workcover she got to see various psychologists. She thought they'd be on her side, but in the end she was betrayed. After four months on stress leave she got a letter from a law firm representing Workcover and her employer (collusion?) telling her that because of a supposed pre-existing condition which apparently she was supposed to disclose (news to me, I thought medical records were private) she would have to resign from work. The problem was that 30 years ago she was wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia and this was never removed from her medical records.

She got a lawyer to represent her at the tribunal but he was worse than useless, as all he managed was to get her entitlements (much of which was swallowed up in legal fees). She lost her job through "mental illness" and apparently her bastard employer and Workcover were able to get away with this aided by the shady psychiatric and legal professions. So now she's unemployed with virtually no prospect of ever getting a job again because of the stigma attached to "mental illness" - and yet she was wrongly diagnosed!

Like Dayne Beams, she is a broken woman. And now she can't even access ongoing psychological counselling because it is not provided for under medicare. Stigma and lack of access to proper psychiatric medical care is the major reason why so many ordinary people with a "mental illness" do it so tough. I'd even suggest that the majority of homeless people in our society fit right into this category.

So with respect to Dayne Beams (we really wish you well mate), you can understand why I am not so sympathetic to the problems of rich young footballers.

We have to do something about this problem in our society. It is literally killing people!