August 31, 2011

Athletes and Risk of Suicide

Tragically, suicide doesn’t discriminate; no one is immune to depression, including the professional athletes we admire and look up to.

Recently there have been three tragic deaths related to suicide in the NHL world; Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien, and, most recently Wade Belak.

These deaths bring about an interesting question about the correlation between injury and depression in the world of professional sports.

Below are just a few links to help begin to answer this question, though further research is no doubt needed.
Calgary Herald Article: Ex-NHL enforcer Wade Belak’s death was suicide: reports
Globe and Mail Article: Being the strong silent type can be fatal
Signs to Prevent Athlete Suicide 
Injured Athletes and the Risk of Suicide
Promoting Hope, Preventing Suicide: Athletes and Suicide
Suicide risk is real for student-athletes