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Baltimore Ravens player Hayden Hurst is opening up about his experience with depression and anxiety, and hopes to inspire others.
“There were weeks at a time I would sit in a dark room and not want to be around people,” he told the news station. “Just that fear of embarrassment. I had never experienced anything like that.”
It wasn’t until Hurst opened up to his father that he learned he wasn’t alone.
“He told me the family history with his OCD,” hesaid. “His anxiety and things as well. The depression he went through and it was easier than understanding, ‘Hey he’s been through this and he understands what’s going on.’ Then I laid out ‘Here’s what’s going on in my life.’ ”
During one terrifying episode, Hurst woke up handcuffed to a hospital bed after a suicide attempt.
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“I woke up in the hospital,” he toldWTLV. “I didn’t know what happened. I had to have a friend fill me in. Apparently, I had been drinking and went into my apartment and cut my wrist. My friend found me in a puddle of blood. He called 911.”
The incident was finally what prompted Hurst to seek help.
According to theAnxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders affect some 40 million adults in the United States every year. It’s common for someone with anxiety to also experience depression, the association reported. Nearly half of people with depression are also diagnosed with anxiety.
Now, Hurst is hoping to raise awareness for mental health, and show other sufferers that they are not alone.
“For some reason, people equate mental illness with having to be ashamed. It’s something you shouldn’t talk about,” he added. “I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of. Everybody goes through something … If my story is going to change the narrative on this and people are going to talk about it more, then so be it.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
