“We are going to be talking about depression and suicide. We recently heard about Graham Thorpe and David Johnson from India. VB Chandra Sekhar sir who was the rock of CSK. I have been there as well. It’s not a pretty journey. It’s debilitating. You feel like you are a burden to the people you love. It’s challenging. You feel like you are worthless,” Robin Uthappa said in a video on YouTube.
I’ve faced many battles on the cricket field, but none as tough as the one I fought with depression. I’m breaking the silence around mental health because I know I’m not alone.
Prioritise your well-being, seek help, and find hope in the darkness.
I share my story on this… pic.twitter.com/XSACIZUfm4
— Robbie Uthappa (@robbieuthappa) August 20, 2024
Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa opened up on his battle with clinical depression in a video posted on his official X handle on 20 August.
Talking about his mental health, the cricketer confessed that the battles he faced on the cricket field were none as tough as the ones he fought with depression.
“I’ve faced many battles on the cricket field, but none as tough as the one I fought with depression. I’m breaking the silence around mental health because I know I’m not alone. Prioritise your well-being, seek help, and find hope in the darkness,” the 38-year-old posted.
Uthappa’s confession comes soon after Graham Thorpe’s family confirmed that the former England cricketer took his own life after enduring prolonged struggles with depression and anxiety.
“I, personally, have been there as well. It’s heavy, that’s how it feels. I have often felt, when I was going through clinical depression, to be a burden. I was seeking answers,” he added.
In September 2022, Uthappa announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. The video aims to raise awareness of mental health challenges in sports.
“I remember that in 2011, I was so ashamed of who I had become as a human being that I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I went all of 2011 just not looking at myself in the mirror. I did avoid any opportunity or even an instance of me looking at myself anywhere. And I know how defeated I felt in those moments. I know how burdensome my existence had become. I know how far away from being purposeful in life,” Uthappa added.
