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I am just as shocked as anybody else and deeply saddened for Dan Vickerman’s family and friends following the former Wallaby’s tragic death on the weekend.
I fully support all the remarks written about how Dan’s personality, character and person of good will were an example for all of us.
Nevertheless, this is also a huge alarm bell for those people administering rugby in the world. The ARU, RUPA and World Rugby must understand that mental illness does not discriminate sports, religions, citizenship, colour or gender.
The prevalent stigma does! That stigma of mental illness is nothing more than ignorance.
All those in charge have been, and are, responsible for establishing adequate education on the perils of professional sport. The World Health Organisation (WHO) established back in 2009 that 25 per cent of the world population suffers, or will suffer from, mental illness during the course of their life.
I have been a witness for the last 13 years of the inadequacy in education, mentoring, guidance, supervision and absolute lack of follow-through in many cases of mental illness. Suicide is a by-product of all that, a consequence of the lack of management strategies in human beings at all levels.
Time and time again, we hear in all sports, arts, and many other pursuits, the culture of alcohol and drugs, sex abuse, ‘team bonding sessions’ combined with a history of undiagnosed mental illness.
Let me tell you right here, and I’m sure Dan Vickerman, a very intelligent and highly educated young man, would have supported my opinion and views.
Here’s some food for, though: it is well-known among professional scientists that 15 per cent of diagnosed bipolar disorder patients die due to suicide. This means that being diagnosed and medicated does not stop the inherent risk of individuals taking their own life.
A sobering statistic.
It’s about time rugby and other sports allocate a percentage of the earnings of unions, players, coaches, sponsors, media, agents, and all other stakeholders to chip in for a truly professional education to remediate and curve these statistics.
The education must start from the first year of primary school.
Yes, I’m saying six-year-old kids need to learn how to manage their mental and physical health. After all, they learn very early these days how to master computers, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and any other form of social media and electronic devices.
So, to Australia and the world, please wake up. The mental illness scourge is about to become an epidemic.
No, I’m not catastrophising, this is the inconvenient truth. I’ve seen it happening since I was selected to play for the Wallabies for the first time in May of 1984.
I ran the Bipolar Education Foundation (BEF) for eight years without official funds, before we had to close it up.
While running the BEF, I approached RUPA to offer my services to run a professional mental health management program but they, of course, knew better.
Australian rugby, take appropriate action before your daughter or son becomes a victim and a casualty. The best time to do that is now!
(Enrique ‘Topo’ Rodriguez is a Wallaby great, capped 26 times for Australia and 13 times for Argentina. This post was taken from a comment left by Topo on The Roar)
Need help? Anyone can contact Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.