We spend so much time building up the rich and famous in society. We obsess over their daily lives and dream about how amazing it would be to trade places with them. However, when they fall, and fall hard, we just drop them and we’re on to the next celebrity in line. Rinse, lather, repeat.
When fame and fortune are two of, if not the most celebrated tenets of society, it becomes difficult to understand how addiction can creep into the brains of those who, to us, objectively possess everything. You know, both immense fame and hordes of money.
For instance, Coach Steve Sarkisian worked hard his whole life to put himself in a place where he had the life and job of his dreams. He was married, had children, and was the head football coach at USC, making millions of dollars doing exactly what he wanted to do with his life. So why did he screw it all up by drinking the opportunity away, despite being given second chances, likely never to come close to that apex again? Coach Sark entered a treatment center, hoping to find salvation.
Next came another depressing fall from grace played out on TMZ and reality television. I am sure you have all heard about Lamar Odom now. The once sixth man of the year and NBA Champion was left fighting for his life after a few days at a Nevada brothel with some female companionship, cocaine, and sexual potency pills. Lamar Odom had experienced a lifetime of tragedy in a mere few decades. No matter how much fame and fortune he had, he wasn’t saved from the failing of his vital organs due to his afflictions.
We don’t know what drove Coach Sark to drink to the point where he lost his wife and career and while we know some of why Lamar Odom ended up comatose in a Nevada brothel, there’s a good chance we don’t have a complete picture. What caused these downward spirals to start? A lot of people think alcoholism and other substance abuse lead to depression. And at times, that is absolutely true. Alcoholism and substance abuse can lead to depression. But what if it’s the other way around? What happens when someone who has forces beyond his control lead to a deep depression or other mental health disorders and then that person starts losing the daily battle?
I was all set to write an article condemning the media for its headline grabbing, shameful coverage of both Coach Sark and Lamar Odom’s public downward spirals. I was then going to implore you, my reader, to stop clicking on those columns, and for the love of all that is holy, turn the channel if one of the Kardashians appears on your television screen. Stop piling on. Stop treating people who suffer from mental health disorders as a joke. But what would that have accomplished?
I was talking to my soon to be wife about this topic and she opined that these events can bring about some change in how society sees mental health afflictions and addiction. Maybe Lamar Odom or Coach Sark could turn into an idol in the future for those battling similar issues? That sounded good, but the more I thought about it and the more I watched the coverage, the more convinced I became that we are just turning them into pariahs and eliminating them from our collective conscience until they resurface so we can see whom gets the first one on one interview.
The problem is: Mental health disorders, including addiction, can afflict any of us. Rich, poor, famous, lone, married, single. They can happen to anybody. Of course there are certain personal choices that can affect the predisposition to mental health disorders and addiction. The same way that smoking cigarettes is not a good idea if you don’t want lung cancer, so too is lazing about one’s house eating pizza and drinking beer everyday a bad idea if one wants to avoid depression. However, no matter how hard some of us try, without help, we are doomed to fail.
I knew there had to be some light at the end of this dark tunnel and I found it while watching “Inside the NFL” of all things. Brandon Marshall was talking about Greg Hardy, and of course ESPN and all of the usual suspects focused on the headline-grabbing part, namely, that Greg Hardy is not exactly leader material.
If you read that ESPN article about Brandon Marshall’s take on Greg Hardy, you’ll have missed Brandon Marshall’s main point. While the article did touch on Marshall’s overarching theme that we have to start looking at the person, not just the player, the article didn’t address Brandon Marshall’s advice for those of us similarly situated as he is. If that article had continued with Brandon Marshall’s poignant discussion on the topic, it would have told you that Brandon Marshall, after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, did everything he could to get the treatment he needed. He sought help, made changes, and is doing much better. He is a spokesperson for the mentally ill, a leading receiver in the NFL, and a weekly mainstay on the aforementioned “Inside the NFL.”
Brandon Marshall indicated that he had hit rock bottom. We didn’t necessarily see it, but I will take his word for it. However, the point is, we shouldn’t be waiting until we hit rock bottom to seek help. And it doesn’t matter what your inspiration is to take that very difficult step. I hope it can be Brandon Marshall for someone. I know someone who suffered from depression and sought help because he saw Tony Soprano seek therapy on The Sopranos. If Tony Soprano could go to therapy, why not him?
Just imagine the daily torture that someone dealing with mental health issues has to deal with the next time you see someone suffering, or even if you see them acting out by partying and using drugs or alcohol to coat the pain. Rodney Harrison said that the hangers on who partied with Junior Seau had a hand in his suicide. Don’t be one of those hangers on. Don’t be the one kicking people when they are so clearly down.
To conclude, mental health disorders are not things to be ashamed of and we should not be using people who go through them as fodder for societal entertainment. People who suffer from mental health disorders wake up every single day wondering whether they will conquer their demons that day or if the demons will chalk another one up in the win column. Collectively, we need to start making our society better by helping those in need of treatment. And if you’re one of those people in need yourself, just know that you’re not alone. There are plenty of people out there going through similar struggles and you have nothing to be ashamed of.