Dialling Down Depression

Depression is the one thing athletes havent ever spoken about until now. Could an app help you minimise the emotional fallout after a big event?

- Catriona Ross

It might have been Prince Harry who got the topic trending; now, top sportsmen are admitting they get depressed too. “More and more these days, we're seeing athletes mention that they've had depression. It's being acknowledged that it's an illness they've had to deal with,” says Gill Taylor, Education, Training and Development Manager at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

In sport, the focus has traditionally been on monitoring the physical aspects of performance. “We can measure physical exhaustion, with waking heart rates for example, and prescribe rest. But what we have very little concept of is mental or emotional exhaustion,” says Paddy Upton, Professor of Practice at Deakin University and head coach of the Global T20 cricket teams.

That may be about to change. As mental health rises as a key factor affecting athletic performance, tech companies are striving to quantify depression and anxiety so they may be better monitored and treated. Fortunately, the South African Depression and Anxiety Support Group (SADAG) estimates that between 80% and 90% of those with depression respond well to treatment.

THE RACE TO QUANTIFY DEPRESSION