DURING A 15-year professional playing career, Jason McAteer experienced some great highs.
The Tranmere native realised a dream by playing at Liverpool for four years after signing from Bolton Wanderers in 1995. Capped 52 times for the Republic of Ireland, he played at two World Cups and scored the famous goal against the Netherlands to help the Boys in Green book their place at the 2002 finals.
However, in 2007, McAteer was diagnosed as clinically depressed soon after retiring from the game.
To mark World Mental Health Day, LFC TV will premiere an hour-long documentary, ‘Through The Storm’, featuring the former Reds midfielder this evening.
They have released the programme on YouTube and you can watch it in full below:
Need help? Support is available:
- Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.ie
- Aware 1800 80 48 48 (depression, anxiety)
- Pieta House 1800 247 247 or email mary@pieta.ie (suicide, self-harm)
- Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
- Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
A list of HSE and HSE-funded services can be found here.
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Fair play up to Jason for being so open and honest…any sportsperson coming ” down” from a career in the limelight is an easy target for the black-dog to go after. Best of luck to him in his recovery
Family man near me took his own life yesterday. Devastating for his family..
Depression seems to be an epidemic these days.
Perhaps it always has been, just more people are openly talking about it these days.
@O Swetenham: I’d say so, I personally remember as a kid in the 70s and 80s hearing of certain people “taking to the bed” or “suffering with the nerves” being whispered around. I think it’s just more open now. People aren’t afraid to say they’re not feeling good.
my own father took his life too….seems to be more males doing it ….very sad…seems to be higher in ireland for some reason
@mark: It’s definitely more males are doing it. It is not (or used not be) very macho/manly to talk about your feelings…
It’s World Mental Health day and the Journal marks it with one of the smallest articles of the day.
In a country with severe mental health issue.So much so that 8 out of 10 suicides in Ireland are males.
Where we currently have families been evicted from their homes/kids sleeping on streets/ families struggling to feed their kids.
These are just some of the issues causing the mental health problems plaguing this country at present . Plus the fact that the health system failing its people.
This is what you should be writing about.
Read his book around about this time last year, the passage about driving through the mersey tunnel was particularly upsetting. To think someone who achieved what he did in the game can think so little of himself. Truly a disease that can affect anyone. Glad he’s here to tell the tale and I hope he takes solace in the happiness he brought to so many football fans in this country. That goal against Holland will live long in the archives of this country.