collapse

* Recent Posts

2024 Coaching Carousel by The Lens
[Today at 05:12:28 AM]


2024 NCAA Tournament Thread by Plaque Lives Matter!
[Today at 01:02:54 AM]


45 minutes ago at the Dallas Westin by MuggsyB
[Today at 12:19:24 AM]


2024 Transfer Portal by CountryRoads
[Today at 12:05:42 AM]


Are we still recruiting anyone for the 24-25 season. by Don_Kojis
[Today at 12:04:21 AM]


Where is Marquette? by marqfan22
[March 28, 2024, 09:29:52 PM]


Chicago bars for Fri game by Daniel
[March 28, 2024, 08:47:22 PM]

Please Register - It's FREE!

The absolute only thing required for this FREE registration is a valid e-mail address.  We keep all your information confidential and will NEVER give or sell it to anyone else.
Login to get rid of this box (and ads) , or register NOW!


Author Topic: Depression and anxiety among NBA players  (Read 5272 times)

Babybluejeans

  • Team Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 390
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #25 on: March 05, 2019, 10:26:57 PM »
On other hand mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety don’t manifest  themselves with sudden outbursts of anger.

This is simply untrue and your purported certainty about it is bafflingly naive. I hope you don’t work in medicine.

Benny B

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 5969
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #26 on: March 06, 2019, 09:23:54 AM »
This is simply untrue and your purported certainty about it is bafflingly naive. I hope you don’t work in medicine.

I would think that depression and anxiety would manifest themselves in other ways long before there are any feelings or outbursts of anger.  Anger as a symptom might finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back, but if all of the sudden an otherwise average person starts feeling angry one day, that's probably not depression or anxiety.
Wow, I'm very concerned for Benny.  Being able to mimic Myron Medcalf's writing so closely implies an oncoming case of dementia.

mudeltaforcegurl

  • Walk-On
  • *
  • Posts: 17
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #27 on: March 06, 2019, 09:47:05 AM »
I would think that depression and anxiety would manifest themselves in other ways long before there are any feelings or outbursts of anger.  Anger as a symptom might finally be the straw that breaks the camel's back, but if all of the sudden an otherwise average person starts feeling angry one day, that's probably not depression or anxiety.

Correct. I’m not sure what the other poster Bluejeans experience is otherwise, maybe someone blaming their anger issues on depression?

MUBurrow

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 1393
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #28 on: March 06, 2019, 10:00:18 AM »
Its cool to see Silver speak out on this, and it would be double cool if funding and support for the NBPA's mental health and wellness program were a part of the next CBA. I don't know how the NBPA funds that program, but a 50-50 match from the league would be a really nice gesture. Also not sure what % of teams have a mental health professional that travels with the team, but I think that in the next couple of years that will be more common than not. If it costs $250k per year for a team to have someone like that, I think the ROI would actually be pretty high for the teams.

ZiggysFryBoy

  • Registered User
  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 5115
  • MEDITERRANEAN TACOS!
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #29 on: March 06, 2019, 10:27:54 AM »
I was in a 2 year relationship with a guy that was diagnosed bipolar. It is a truly frightening thing to experience someone with mental illness not on their medication and clearly unable to control their behavior. It was literally like a flip of a switch- one moment happy and energetic and the next in a fit of rage.

On other hand mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety don’t manifest  themselves with sudden outbursts of anger. Most sufferers tend to withdraw, and when properly medicated lead completely normal lives.

Anger is absolutely a symptom of anxiety.  So is panic.  So is compulsive behavior.

Anxiety and depression is not just laying in bed all day unable to face the world.  Like most mental illness, there is a complete spectrum for those with anxiety and depression.

And meds dont always work.  Brain chemistry changes, and the medication that has been working for many years all of a sudden doesnt.  Or the dosage needs changing. Or the doc needs to prescribe something else to counter some of the bad side effects of the primary medication.  That new medication might interact with the brain differently,  resulting in positive or negative changes.

I'm going on 20 years since I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety.   For the most part, people have no idea.   With meds and treatment,  I'm able to mask most of my symptoms.  Sometime I just have a crappy month---could be life or could be the anxiety.   

I spent 6 months last year trying to fix my dosing with my doctor.   This is after ending my treatment with a psychiatrist and having my primary doc prescribe for me around 8 years ago.  What changed? Nothing, really.  Just the medication stopped working like it had been.  Luckily, we have the meds in the right spot now, so I'm back to myself.  Some people aren't so lucky.

(I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather to try to explain something that is unique to me.  No 2 people have the same issues and there is not a magic bullet.  I am a big believer in awareness, education, and reducing the stigma of mental illness, especially in men.)

Plaque Lives Matter!

  • Starter
  • ***
  • Posts: 199
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #30 on: March 06, 2019, 11:19:08 AM »
Anger is absolutely a symptom of anxiety.  So is panic.  So is compulsive behavior.

Anxiety and depression is not just laying in bed all day unable to face the world.  Like most mental illness, there is a complete spectrum for those with anxiety and depression.

And meds dont always work.  Brain chemistry changes, and the medication that has been working for many years all of a sudden doesnt.  Or the dosage needs changing. Or the doc needs to prescribe something else to counter some of the bad side effects of the primary medication.  That new medication might interact with the brain differently,  resulting in positive or negative changes.

I'm going on 20 years since I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety.   For the most part, people have no idea.   With meds and treatment,  I'm able to mask most of my symptoms.  Sometime I just have a crappy month---could be life or could be the anxiety.   

I spent 6 months last year trying to fix my dosing with my doctor.   This is after ending my treatment with a psychiatrist and having my primary doc prescribe for me around 8 years ago.  What changed? Nothing, really.  Just the medication stopped working like it had been.  Luckily, we have the meds in the right spot now, so I'm back to myself.  Some people aren't so lucky.

(I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather to try to explain something that is unique to me.  No 2 people have the same issues and there is not a magic bullet.  I am a big believer in awareness, education, and reducing the stigma of mental illness, especially in men.)

Good to hear it is working for you. I am in the midst of a change myself, just coming out of the side effect haze. It is a great thing that we have many choices and options for treatment but dang if it isnt a b**** to get acclimated sometimes.

Spotcheck Billy

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 2229
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #31 on: March 06, 2019, 11:32:17 AM »
..
« Last Edit: March 06, 2019, 09:38:52 PM by Waldo Jeffers »

MU82

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 22730
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #32 on: March 06, 2019, 11:37:20 AM »
Anger is absolutely a symptom of anxiety.  So is panic.  So is compulsive behavior.

Anxiety and depression is not just laying in bed all day unable to face the world.  Like most mental illness, there is a complete spectrum for those with anxiety and depression.

And meds dont always work.  Brain chemistry changes, and the medication that has been working for many years all of a sudden doesnt.  Or the dosage needs changing. Or the doc needs to prescribe something else to counter some of the bad side effects of the primary medication.  That new medication might interact with the brain differently,  resulting in positive or negative changes.

I'm going on 20 years since I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety.   For the most part, people have no idea.   With meds and treatment,  I'm able to mask most of my symptoms.  Sometime I just have a crappy month---could be life or could be the anxiety.   

I spent 6 months last year trying to fix my dosing with my doctor.   This is after ending my treatment with a psychiatrist and having my primary doc prescribe for me around 8 years ago.  What changed? Nothing, really.  Just the medication stopped working like it had been.  Luckily, we have the meds in the right spot now, so I'm back to myself.  Some people aren't so lucky.

(I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather to try to explain something that is unique to me.  No 2 people have the same issues and there is not a magic bullet.  I am a big believer in awareness, education, and reducing the stigma of mental illness, especially in men.)

Thank you for sharing this personal account. I find the information very valuable, and I wish the best for you.
“It’s not how white men fight.” - Tucker Carlson

Babybluejeans

  • Team Captain
  • ****
  • Posts: 390
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #33 on: March 06, 2019, 11:47:41 AM »
Correct. I’m not sure what the other poster Bluejeans experience is otherwise, maybe someone blaming their anger issues on depression?

Ha, see some of the above posts...and, you know, the medical literature. Honest mistake you made, and probably a common one too.

Benny B

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 5969
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #34 on: March 06, 2019, 12:37:48 PM »
Anger is absolutely a symptom of anxiety.  So is panic.  So is compulsive behavior.

Anxiety and depression is not just laying in bed all day unable to face the world.  Like most mental illness, there is a complete spectrum for those with anxiety and depression.

And meds dont always work.  Brain chemistry changes, and the medication that has been working for many years all of a sudden doesnt.  Or the dosage needs changing. Or the doc needs to prescribe something else to counter some of the bad side effects of the primary medication.  That new medication might interact with the brain differently,  resulting in positive or negative changes.

I'm going on 20 years since I was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety.   For the most part, people have no idea.   With meds and treatment,  I'm able to mask most of my symptoms.  Sometime I just have a crappy month---could be life or could be the anxiety.   

I spent 6 months last year trying to fix my dosing with my doctor.   This is after ending my treatment with a psychiatrist and having my primary doc prescribe for me around 8 years ago.  What changed? Nothing, really.  Just the medication stopped working like it had been.  Luckily, we have the meds in the right spot now, so I'm back to myself.  Some people aren't so lucky.

(I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather to try to explain something that is unique to me.  No 2 people have the same issues and there is not a magic bullet.  I am a big believer in awareness, education, and reducing the stigma of mental illness, especially in men.)

Strictly out of curiosity, was the initial diagnosis made by a PhD or an MD (i.e. psychologist or physician)? 

When I was 14 I was diagnosed bi-polar by our family practitioner (i.e. MD) after several visits with him and a couple outside referrals to psychiatrists. From what I remember, around that time, my mother was also diagnosed similarly and I had blood drawn on several occasions indicating low lithium levels... so I started taking lithium, which honestly, didn't do me a damn bit of good, so by the time I was 16, I wasn't taking anything anymore and made it through HS and college just fine.

A little more than a decade later, I was having concentration issues so my MD sent me to a PhD.  I had an initial consultation with the psychologist, my entire medical file (from HS) sent to him the following week, and after several tests over 2-3 follow-up appointments, he said flat out that I was misdiagnosed but was initially reluctant to say so earlier because the medical group that originally diagnosed me happened to be part of a pretty reputable organization in Gooooo's nick of the woods.

Turns out that - at least in my psychologists opinion - the MD that mis-diagnosed may have relied a bit too much on my mother's condition (who was going through a divorce) along with a couple of related incidents they qualified as "highly impulsive" behavior that was "beyond the realm of normality and all reasonable comprehension" or something like that: I had recently emptied my bank account to buy gold and silver coins that I turned around and was trying to sell on this new thing called the "internet."

The good news was that I was - albeit many years later - correctly diagnosed with an anxiety condition; the bad news was that the shop who sold me the coins was forced by my mother to refund my money... right as the gold market hit a bottom.  Had I been allowed to execute on my plan, I would have made enough to buy the new REM and INXS albums on CD along with one of those new Discman contraptions when metals prices rose 10% the next month.

tl;dr -- In my experience, the MD's seemed way to quantitative in diagnosing a condition that could be medicated, while the one psychologist I visited spent months with me trying to figure out what was going on with my neurons rather than sticking me with a needle and trying to draw conclusions based on the microscope slide.

So genuinely curious as to others' processes that led to their diagnosis.
Wow, I'm very concerned for Benny.  Being able to mimic Myron Medcalf's writing so closely implies an oncoming case of dementia.

rocket surgeon

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 3660
  • NA of course
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #35 on: March 06, 2019, 01:09:54 PM »
great stories you guys, well, what i mean is thanks for sharing.  this is the part that helps bust the "stigma" associated with the aforementioned subject-for me, it was trial and error, patience, trust and quit the ack a hall-it's been 11 years and life does, believe me, keep getting better. i believe i scratched and clawed my way thru h.s. college and the first 10-15 years of private practice before realizing, this ain't right. fortunately no lasting damage, family and business intact.

      reading zig and benny- i will definitely be watching for a decrease in efficacy.  hopefully we be good for a while, but i never would have realized this not having read these personal stories-thanks again!
don't...don't don't don't don't

ZiggysFryBoy

  • Registered User
  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 5115
  • MEDITERRANEAN TACOS!
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #36 on: March 06, 2019, 01:41:07 PM »
For me, both.  The office that I went to was a psychiatrist's office but I also saw a psychologist (PhD, not masters level.)

Cheeks

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 6045
  • Hall of Fame Hugger
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #37 on: March 07, 2019, 07:34:01 PM »
I think it is partially generational. My generation seems to be "more stressed". My 2 cents is that the connectedness has driven a lot of this - we are more plugged in and yet more siloed and disconnected at at the same time.

In the context of the NBA, that the players are so connected to the fans is both a blessing and a curse.

You might be on to something there.
"I hate everything about this job except the games, Everything. I don't even get affected anymore by the winning, by the ratings, those things. The trouble is, it will sound like an excuse because we've never won the national championship, but winning just isn't all that important to me.” Al McGuire

Cheeks

  • All American
  • *****
  • Posts: 6045
  • Hall of Fame Hugger
Re: Depression and anxiety among NBA players
« Reply #38 on: March 07, 2019, 07:35:19 PM »


(I'm not sharing this for sympathy, rather to try to explain something that is unique to me.  No 2 people have the same issues and there is not a magic bullet.  I am a big believer in awareness, education, and reducing the stigma of mental illness, especially in men.)

Amen. Thank you for sharing.
"I hate everything about this job except the games, Everything. I don't even get affected anymore by the winning, by the ratings, those things. The trouble is, it will sound like an excuse because we've never won the national championship, but winning just isn't all that important to me.” Al McGuire