Stoke and Scotland midfielder Charlie Adam has unfortunately had to deal directly with the effects of suicide as his father took his own life almost three years ago. A former footballer himself, Charlie Adam Snr. took his own life close to Christmas in 2012, and Adam has expressed the pain it cause him and his family.
Speaking recently at an event in support of the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Adam opened up about how difficult it can be for people who are struggling with their mental health, and how his own father was seen as a lively strong character, but took his own life with no prior warning signs, which hammers home just how difficult it is for those who feel suicidal to talk to someone.
Adam was then asked if he thought enough was being done to help footballers who are suffering, and his comments were very well put.
I think help is there, but I think if you're in that state of mind it's difficult to talk about.
If you feel as if you're under that type of pressure or you feel as if you're going into that dark area that you're getting close to thinking about suicide then you've got to be in a dark place.
The biggest thing and I think the hardest thing is to speak. We always say 'why could he not have just picked up the phone to anybody?' but the hardest thing is talking about it.
If he'd have spoken to somebody about an hour before he thought about it then he'd probably have been here today but unfortunately he's not.
With recent examples such as the tragic death of Welsh manager and former Premier League player Gary Speed, and Clarke Carlisle's attempted suicide, mental health is an issue that needs to be addressed in sport, and with Premier League footballers such as Charlie Adam opening talking about their own experiences, hopefully it will encourage more to do the same and make it more acceptable to talk about these issues for those who would otherwise feel ashamed.
Fair play to Charlie Adam.
via SkySports.com
