Statement on Tyson Fury
Mind's Chief Executive Paul Farmer said:
"Tyson Fury is going through a very difficult time right now and we hope that he is getting all the help and support that he needs to aid his recovery. We wish him and his family all the best.
By speaking openly he has shown that depression can affect anyone, even World Champion boxers. Many men struggle in silence when they experience depression or other mental health problems as they are scared about how they will be perceived. We need to break through this wall of silence and tackle the serious problem that suicide remains the biggest single killer of men aged 20 - 45 in the UK.
It is always significant when someone in the public eye opens up about their mental health problems. For too long there has been shame and secrecy around mental health so when we see it discussed openly in the media it helps to change the way we all think and act around mental health problems.
We know that celebrities and public figures talking about mental health does prompt people to seek support and have seen increases in calls to our helpline and surges in traffic to our website on similar occasions in the past.
There are an increasing number of current and ex-sportspeople speaking out about struggles with their own mental health, including Freddie Flintoff, Dame Kelly Holmes and Clarke Carlisle. Many of sports’ governing bodies have signed up to the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation and have committed to taking action on how they respond to mental health issues. However, we’d like to see all sports prioritising the mental wellbeing of their athletes and addressing how they manage and prevent mental ill health amongst sports professionals."