'I was convinced I was dying' - Trescothick

[Sachinism]

Marcus Trescothick has revealed the depths of his illness which forced him to fly home from the last Ashes tour and pushed him into early international retirement. In extracts from his new autobiography, serialised the the News of the World, Trescothick admits he considered self-harming when he was at his lowest moments. Trescothick was first affected on the 2006 tour of India when he flew home early and initially the extent of his problems weren't revealed. He returned to the England team in the summer of 2006 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan then was included for the Ashes tour. However, after a tour match against New South Wales he broke down again in the dressing room and returned home. In 2007 he announced his retirement from international cricket and now he has described how the depression set in during the India trip. "I was petrified. I started sweating heavily and shaking. My mind was racing. And I could hear a loud thumping noise - like someone banging a big drum. I couldn't work it out. Then I realised it was my heart. "Exhausted, emotionally vulnerable, isolated and far from home, I was ready for the taking," he said. "For a moment I was convinced I was dying. I knew I was in serious trouble...I had to get help." Trescothick, who was standing in as captain in place of Michael Vaughan at the time, immediately flew home to join wife Hayley and daughter Ellie, but even that couldn't stop his downward spiral. "Out of the blue, in front of Ellie and Hayley, I felt a massive surge of anxiety overwhelm me like a huge wave. It sucked the breath clean out of my lungs. The next 48 hours were hell. "I started thinking seriously about doing myself harm. I knew I didn't want to carry on living like this." When the problems resurfaced in Australia, Trescothick says he knew that was the end of his international career. "It was as though someone flicked a switch. I knew it was over. The tears welled up as I started to walk back to the pavilion. "I knew I no longer had any say in the matter. The illness had come back. The thought of what I was doing hit me like a kick in the guts. I would probably never again experience the great highs, hard work, and joy of playing for England." Away from the international scene Trescothick has been able to rebuild his life and has enjoyed a productive season for Somerset. He was the first batsman to passed 1000 Championship runs and in the last round of matches hit a season-best 158 against Surrey. ---- I've heard a rumour on a few occasions that Tresco left because he found out Vaughan had been banging his wife loll

[Ram]

I've heard a rumour on a few occasions that Tresco left because he found out Vaughan had been banging his wife loll

Thats probably one of the most inappropriate comment I have heard in a long time, given the gravity and the seriousness of the situation of Trescothick. Coming back to Trescothick, poor guy, feel sorry for him. Not many have the courage to come out and openly admit to these sort of illnesses. But cynicist in me simply couldnt miss the fact that he ended up writing a book on it, to get maximum financial mileage out of what is essentially an intensely personal thing. Oh well!

[Sachinism]

^^ Im just saying what i've heard this is from people who have been involved in the county cricket circuit as well as people involved with the england academy

[Ram]

^^ Im just saying what i've heard this is from people who have been involved in the county cricket circuit as well as people involved with the england academy

I've also heard many things about how Vaughan's niece and Trescoth...... How about that? Shall we discuss 'em too?

[Sachinism]

if you want, i have no problem

[beetle]

Sriram....think of all the people who will seek help after reading this. By comming out like this he is probably helping many realise that it is OK to seek help.

[retterimp]

what is this "illness"? is it some mental problem he had? that is never made clear. i always read about his illness but never exactly knew what it meant.

[punjabi_khota]

Blah Blah..I miss my mommy..blah blah....LOL.wimp.

[Ram]

Sriram....think of all the people who will seek help after reading this. By comming out like this he is probably helping many realise that it is OK to seek help.

Thats a fair point.

[fineleg]

MM, Despite beetle being charitable about it, clearly Tresco is milking whatever money he can out of this book and situation.

[Ram]

MM, Despite beetle being charitable about it, clearly Tresco is milking whatever money he can out of this book and situation.

At the least, he is talking about his illness. The west has many other instances of people making money out of far more disgusting things. So, lets give him the benefit of doubt this time.

[punjabi_khota]

^ 9/11 ftw!

[kablooee87]

Blah Blah..I miss my mommy..blah blah....LOL.wimp.

smh

[King]

A lot of rubbish comments from learned posters. What's wrong in writing a book and making a bit out of it now that he has no parallel career? Some of you blokes should get down from the high horse. "Depression" is a massive illness and if a lot of you do not know the extent of harm that may cause you should better find out before thrashing Tresco. It happens to a lot of sportsmen and guys working at the management level or in big businesses. They wouldn't know what's hit them and they don't open up either. It is laudable Tresco has been discussing this openly. A lot I know suffer immensely from this disease but do not acknowledge openly in the fear of public rejection or being labeled lunatic. There are a lot of highly successful people in high positions that suffer immensely due to pressure jobs and usually behave normally in a social gathering. They go terrible in the company of their family and when they are by themselves. This act of balancing of displaying good behavioral mask when in public but losing it all in the company of close ones or in private takes a heavy toll on people that suffer from “Depression”. Honestly it is neither “Funny” or appropriate for people that have never experienced anything of this sort or known anyone closely that has dealt with this or suffered to throw silly comments. It’s funny most here seem to put everyone under microscope just for the sake of it. :confused_smile:

[ludhianvi]

Mental illness is not taken seriously like other illnesses or diseases especially in the South Asian Community. Most people in India label anybody with depression and Anxiety or other forms of mental illnesses are very easily labeled as 'sissy' or 'pagal'. And somebody with a little stronger form of mental disorder is sometimes seemed to be chained or given electric shocks in Hindi tv serials. These mental disorders can usually be controlled with some medication as was the case in the movie' Such a Beautiful Mind" Some stats in the USA:

Depression Statistics How Prevalent is Depression in America? The statistics for adults (age 18 or over) suffering from depression: In any given year - 12% of woman and 6.6 % of men (all types of depressive illnesses combined), Over their lifetime about 20% or women and 10% of men will have clinical depression. In any given year - 6.5% of women and 3.3 % of men have major depression. In any given year - 1% of both women and men suffer from bipolar disorder In a lifetime - 5.4% of the population suffer from dysthymsia Average Age of Onset: Major Depression: mid-twenties Dysthymia: childhood, adolescence, or early adulthood Bipolar Disorder: early twenties Anxiety Disorders Statistics Anxiety disorders are even more common than depression. Anxiety often co-exists with depression. Approximately 13% of people between the ages of 18 and 54 have an anxiety disorder in a given year. Many people have more than one anxiety disorder. The numbers for specific anxiety disorders in a given year are: Panic Disorder: 1.7% Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): 2.3% Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): 3.6% Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): 2.8% Social Phobia: 3.7% Agoraphobia: 2.2% Specific phobia: 4.4% Approximately twice as many women as men suffer from panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and specific phobia, though about equal numbers of women and men have obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia.

[Desi Cartman]

Its depression & anxiety , I have suffered from it for a long time and Im still taking medication. Its a very difficult period in one's life, there are times when you feel its better to die than to live for another hour. There are nights when you cant sleep for even 5 mins , there are days when you have body aches. People just ask to get over it. Some people think that u have gone mad. Im glad that I was in Aus when I was suffering from this problem and my company/manager were supporting me 100%.

[fineleg]

Its depression & anxiety , I have suffered from it for a long time and Im still taking medication. Its a very difficult period in one's life, there are times when you feel its better to die than to live for another hour. There are nights when you cant sleep for even 5 mins , there are days when you have body aches. People just ask to get over it. Some people think that u have gone mad. Im glad that I was in Aus when I was suffering from this problem and my company/manager were supporting me 100%.

Does medication help or is it just pharma companies pushing it? Do some meditation, Meditation may help more than Medication.

[punjabi_khota]

Does medication help or is it just pharma companies pushing it? Do some meditation, Meditation may help more than Medication.

Medication definitely helps in clinical depression.

[suraj]

I have treated patients with depression and anxiety & trust me a lot of them were a 1000 times more intelligent and determined than most posters here- its not their fault, its a chemical imbalance & I don't wish it on anyone. Medications are a must in chemical imbalance situation besides other factors such as comfort zone of being at a place you are familiar with and with people you can trust. Coming back to this incident, when he was silent stories floated that ranged from him screwing other women to his wife getting screwed by others ( in the middle were stories like he was suffering from embarrasing stomach problems so he went back). Now that he actually said something, he is being accused of being greedy and trying to make money. Go figure!

[Desi Cartman]

Does medication help or is it just pharma companies pushing it? Do some meditation, Meditation may help more than Medication.

Medicines do work ... in fact they save lives Its not easy to find the correct Medication though , most people respond well to prozac to which I didnt. My doctor must have given me at least 15 different drugs in last 4 years. Thankfully some of them did click and now Im about to stop medication. Some medicines have reactions like restlessness , sweating , insomnia etc so its a time consuming thing. Depression from my understanding doesn't go away but anti-depressants make it a little more bearable and gives the patient enough time to find strength and means to live it.