David Beckham and mental health.....am I missing something?

[maudavery]

This is what DB in convo with Prince William has said about talking about one's feelings:

I made a mistake in '98 [getting sent off against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup] and the reaction at the time was pretty brutal.
"If social media was around when I was going through that time, it would have been a whole different story. But I was lucky, I had a support system within Manchester United, the manager, and obviously family.
"But did I feel it was okay at the time to go to someone and say I need help? No, because it was a different era, and I just felt that I had to keep it all in and deal with it myself.

So he cocked up, took flak for it and then "had to deal with it himself", although he acknowledges he had a lot of support. Is this so bad? Isn't this just taking responsibility? Isn't there a lot to be said for this kind of stoicism? Whereas now everything pathologised and we need therapy for everything.

I take his point about social media and agree it can be poisonous especially for younger people but I don't really think his point about having to deal with things himself is so terrible.

I guess it affected him more than he has explicitly said.

As I recall , people were burning effigies of DB .... probably says a lot more about the so called fans MH

Even people with a support network can need professional help when something big affects their mental health. Do I think it’s a shame that in those circumstances he didn’t feel he could access that help? Yes of course I do.

As I recall he was overnight turned into something along the lines of the most hated man in Britain.
I don’t follow football but I do recall being shocked at the vitriol and anger projected towards him, that must of been incredibly hard to deal with.
I think it’s great both of the above men are doing more to raise awareness of MH.

I think you're understating things. He was on the front cover of most of the papers who were saying what a crap footballer he was. If he'd had thousands of people messaging him direct to tell him that, he doesn't believe his mental health would have been so strong that he recovered as well as he did.

I don't think there's any bandwagon DB wouldn't jump on if it gets him attention.
I noticed he said he was glad social media wasn't around when he was sent off in the world Cup... This from the man who, along with his family, flaunt every single aspect of their lives on social media.

Mental health is too serious for him to use as he's doing.

YABU. Bear in mind he was also very young at the time. The backlash was appalling.

I remember the fall out from his sending off - the press were vile and irresponsible in their reactions and some of the public went bonkers . It's to DB's credit that he turned things around and became such a respected sportsman. I do get fed up of William, Kate, Harry and Meghsn carping on about mental health.

He received death threats and even bullets through the post. Fuck stoicism, that would have a negative effect on anyone.

I’m glad you posted this because I saw it on the news and was a bit bemused by it. I don’t remember the news from back then, but I’ve never been a football fan.

I do recall when Gareth Southgate missed the penalty in Euro 96 though

YABVU. He was absolutely annihilated; he was hated by an entire country who were very verbal about it. Of course that’s going to affect him long term.

Good on him for speaking out.

I think you’ve forgotten quite how severe the reaction was to his red card OP. I don’t think we’ve seen a footballer abused in the same way by the press since then.

I remember at the time thinking how well he had coped with the abuse and am really not surprised he is now coming out and saying he did struggle with it. I can only imagine how much worse it would have been if social media was around and I doubt many would have coped with what he would have received.

When I cock up at work I don’t have to deal with headlines stirring up hatred against me, or people burning effigies, or the general public calling me a cunt who doesn’t deserve to have a job. If I did, I expect there would be quite serious repercussions for my mental health.

This from the man who, along with his family, flaunt every single aspect of their lives on social media

Yes! Brooklyn Beckham seems an aimless young man, instagramming his proposal to his girlfriend.

All these celebs talk about mental health and getting help.
Meanwhile in our circumstances help is pretty much impossible.
Everyone talks about awareness and support, the only thing is we are aware of it was and the fact it is made much worse by the lack of support and celebs going on about it.
I had to pay for a councillor, but could not now. It just seems that any help is private. Which few of the needy can afford.

the hatred was intense

from memory he was really hated after being sent off, the papers went for the jugular
of course thats going to affect you especially when he had been a medai darling before then

There was a huge backlash at the time and he was public enemy #1 in the UK, he was hated in the same way the Bulger killers were or Ian Huntley would be a few years later. (That's not an exaggeration.)

Looking back, maybe the death threats and so on were a little OTT but ultimately it was his stupidity that lead to the hatred. As with anyone who commits a serious error of judgment the only person who can redeem them is themselves.

Meanwhile in our circumstances help is pretty much impossible.

Cryalot2 I’ve not found that at all. The NHS were really supportive; I was offered CBT and it changed my entire life around and I’m fully recovered from my illness now.

I couldn’t fault them at all.

@Cryalot2

All these celebs talk about mental health and getting help. Meanwhile in our circumstances help is pretty much impossible. Everyone talks about awareness and support, the only thing is we are aware of it was and the fact it is made much worse by the lack of support and celebs going on about it. I had to pay for a councillor, but could not now. It just seems that any help is private. Which few of the needy can afford.

I agree, the mental health provision in this country is dire

Regarding Beckham, he was torn apart in the press, tv shows brought it up as well and he was vilified

As he said he was bloody lucky social media wasn’t around

@contrmary

There was a huge backlash at the time and he was public enemy #1 in the UK, he was hated in the same way the Bulger killers were or Ian Huntley would be a few years later. (That's not an exaggeration.)

Looking back, maybe the death threats and so on were a little OTT but ultimately it was his stupidity that lead to the hatred. As with anyone who commits a serious error of judgment the only person who can redeem them is themselves.

Are you actually saying getting sent off in a football match deserves the same hatred as murdering children as it was his own fault?!

So he cocked up, took flak for it and then "had to deal with it himself", although he acknowledges he had a lot of support. Is this so bad? Isn't this just taking responsibility? Isn't there a lot to be said for this kind of stoicism? Whereas now everything pathologised and we need therapy for everything.

We had threads here where posters fucked up at work, it snowballed and they ended up being signed off by gp. Would you tell them this?

Bloody hell.

He was 23 and subjected to a serious amount of abuse on a national scale because he made a mistake, and you don't think it was 'so bad'?

I'm twice that age and I would be an absolute wreck if my name was dragged through the mud on the front page of every paper and I was receiving death threats.

Different things affect people in different ways, and I know many people that are much less emotional than I am (I wish I was more like that), and you might be someone that wouldn't care what the rest of the country thought of you. Don't assume everyone is like that.

@contrmary

There was a huge backlash at the time and he was public enemy #1 in the UK, he was hated in the same way the Bulger killers were or Ian Huntley would be a few years later. (That's not an exaggeration.)

Looking back, maybe the death threats and so on were a little OTT but ultimately it was his stupidity that lead to the hatred. As with anyone who commits a serious error of judgment the only person who can redeem them is themselves.

No death threat is "little OTT"

DB will do anything to get an undeserved knighthood keep in with the royals and in the public eye.