Why depression and anxiety are knocking our cricketers for a six

Depression and anxiety among professional cricketers made headlines with English Test captain Ben Stokes being the latest star to open up about his mental health struggles. 

Last year the 31-year-old revealed he was on anxiety medication and “not embarrassed or ashamed” as he needed help, after a series of panic attacks. 

He announced his retirement from one-day cricket in July, citing the “unsustainable” rigour of playing all three formats of the game, preventing him from visiting his dying father as much as he wanted.

University of Cape Town (UCT) researchers are now suggesting mental health challenges among elite cricketers may be more widespread after a local study revealed the prevalence of depression and anxiety among SA cricketers to be about 60% — higher than in other sporting codes in SA.  

The study, done in collaboration with the South African Cricketers’ Association among 177 professional cricketers in SA to assess symptoms of anxiety and depression, found that cricketers competing at higher divisional level had high chances of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Those with long-term contracts to play abroad were even more at risk of developing symptoms.  

Playing off-season and being contracted to play overseas for more than two years has also been associated with a greater chance of developing symptoms. On the other hand, cricketers who made “productive use of their spare time in the off-season and contracted for two years had a 70% lower probability of developing symptoms of anxiety and depression”. 

Researchers found the prevalence of anxiety or depression symptoms was 59%, which is higher than in other elite sports, which range from 21% to 48%. 

One of the researchers, Dr Sharief Hendricks, a senior lecturer at UCT’s division of physiological sciences and president of the South African Sports Medicine Association, said the findings suggest that short-term or one-year contracts may not offer players stability, placing them at risk of experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression.  

Hendricks and colleagues concluded that longer-term contracts of more than two years, may also manifest into symptoms of anxiety and depression because players “may feel they have fully committed to one team for an extended period, thereby potentially missing out on other opportunities”.  

“In other words, longer-term contracts do not offer players flexibility. In contrast to one-year and two-year plus contracts, two-year contracts afford players stability and flexibility, which positively affects their mental health”. 

Writing in international sports medicine journal Research in Sports Medicine, Hendricks also concluded that based on evidence, the off-season should be viewed as a window of opportunity for players to “recover and rebuild” for the start of the next season. 

“During the off-season, a significant decrease or complete cessation of team training is observed to allow players to physically rebuild and recondition for the upcoming season. Psychologically, the off-season provides players with the opportunity to reflect and reset. It is a period to spend meaningful time away from the sport and engage in other activities of interest,” he said. 

Researchers noted that players using their spare time in the off-season may be healthier,  mentally, going into the next competitive season than players who did not. 

“Cricketers who choose to play overseas during the off-season forfeit the benefits of decompressing, detaching and preparing for the upcoming season, which may have a compound effect on player’s anxiety and depressive symptoms if not properly managed.”

“In addition to losing the benefits of an off-season, they also carry the physical and mental burden of playing another competitive season before their next competitive season. In effect, it is three competitive seasons without any significant rest and recovery away from the sport. While playing overseas, cricketers may not have access to their normal social support mechanisms, negatively affecting their mental health further,” researchers noted. 

Hendricks said the findings highlight the importance of time off from cricket to do other meaningful activities and establishing a work-life balance to protect against developing symptoms of anxiety and depression during the season. “With that said, should players wish to play overseas during their off-season, mechanisms to monitor and manage player psychological load should be in place throughout the year.”

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