Cricketers and Mental Health Concerns

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper is to examine cricket history in order to illustrate some of the mental health issues present in Australia through the years.

Conclusions: Mood disorders, suicide, and drug and alcohol issues are among problems that have beset top level cricketers. A range of factors have contributed to the psychiatric problems that cricketers have encountered. Educating players may be a beneficial preventative strategy.

Keywords

alcohol use cricket mood disorders sport suicide

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

1. Gregory

M de Moore

. The suicide of Thomas Wentworth Wills. Medical Journal of Australia 1999; 171: 656–658.

2. Wikipedia. David Boon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Boon (accessed 12 December 2006).

3. Australian Drug Foundation. Cricket Clubs Urged to Become Good Sports with the Help of TAC. Australian Drug Foundation media release, 10 October 2002.

4. Brenkley

. Pakistan pair face two-year bans after failing drug tests. The Independent (London), 17 October 2006.

5. Wikipedia. William Scotton. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Scotton (accessed 12 December 2006).

6. Ambrose

. Brief profile of W.H.Scotton. http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Articles/1/1285.html (accessed 12 December 2006).

7. Cricinfo.com, part of the Wisden Group. http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/player/4098.html .

8. Cricinfo.com, part of the Wisden Group. http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/20179.html (accessed 13 December 2006).

9. Smith

. ABC Guide to Australian Test Cricketers. Sydney: ABC Books, 2001.

10.

10. Pollard

. Australian Cricket: The Game and the Players. Sydney Hodder and Stoughton, 1982.

11.

11. BBC News online. Former England cricketer found dead. 6 January 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/cricket/45028.stm (accessed 13 December 2006).

12.

12. Frith

. Silence of the Heart: Cricket Suicides. Mainstream Publishing, London 2001.

13.

13. Robson

. New light shed on CB Fry: A brilliant cricketer, a memorable character. 20 September 1999. http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/83956.html (accessed 13 December 2006).

14.

14. Universitat Bonn. Bonn Researchers Localise Manic Depression Gene. Press Release No. 01/2002. http://www.uni-bonn.de/en/News/01_2002.html (accessed 13 December 2006).

15.

15. ABC TV transcripts. Enough Rope. http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1323968.htm (accessed 13 December 2006).

16.

Michael

Slater

with Jeff

Apter

. Slats: The Michael Slater Story. Sydney: Random House, 2005.

17.

17. Jamison

. Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. Free Press, Ontario 1993.

18.

18. Sutton

. Cricketers and Retirement. Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter, Melbourne: Coordinator Mark Tronson Wellbeing Australia, 2002.