The Players' Tribune: Corey Hirsch on mental illness: "Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark, Dark"
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hototogisu
Poked the bear!!!!!
karnige
Real Life FTL
- Oct 18, 2006
- 19,215
- 1,306
great read. goes to show you that players care. no one said a word to the media. he got the help he needed. I'm sure there are tons of players on medication, seeing the drs now. its nothing to be ashamed of. sometimes you can't control it. chemical imbalance. some are treatable.
Team_Spirit
95% Elliotte
- Jul 3, 2002
- 37,810
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Corey Hirsch is one of the hidden gems on sportsnet i really like the guy.
I will read this later
I will read this later
He does guest analysis work on the Coyotes pre/post games from time to time. He's very good indeed.
Haj
#CatsAreComing
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
I've read a lot of powerful stuff on PT, but this one touched me the most. That "Psycho" mask will never be the same.
Pure Slaughter Value
Registered User
This is scary. Some of it explains a lot about me. Nothing in any way shape or form As bad as what he is/was going through but wow...what an eye-opener.
I knew it was obsessive-compulsive disorder before he finished the article. I have a milder version of it.
hellstick
Registered User
Great read. I'm actually living in Kamloops and was picturing all the cliffs he could be referring to. Weird mental image.
waffledave
waffledave, from hf
This was a really great piece and touched me quite a bit. I also suffer from the same form of OCD (called Pure-O OCD) and I could identify quite a bit with what he is going through. I never got quite as as "low" as he has but I can identify with the overpowering, nonstop dark/guilty thoughts the second you are alone with yourself.
I had it when I was a kid, mostly to do with religion (grew up in a religious family). It lasted most of my life even though I stopped believing in religion in my teens. I sort of got over it in my 20's but a few years ago it came back worse than it has ever been. It took me about a year and half to get out of it for the most part, though it's still something I deal with every day and from time to time can get pretty bad again.
I don't take any medication for this, but have treated it with CBT.
I had it when I was a kid, mostly to do with religion (grew up in a religious family). It lasted most of my life even though I stopped believing in religion in my teens. I sort of got over it in my 20's but a few years ago it came back worse than it has ever been. It took me about a year and half to get out of it for the most part, though it's still something I deal with every day and from time to time can get pretty bad again.
I don't take any medication for this, but have treated it with CBT.
VanIsle
Registered User
Great read, I remember meeting him as a Canuck and was a nice guy, who knew he had all that bottled up.
Similar experience, although my family wasn't particularly religious. Still, the symptoms were to do with religion, such as daily prayers that I HAD to do before bed if I was to get any sleep. These prayers were very formulaic and could last up to an hour or more. If I didn't do them, I was afraid something harmful would happen to somebody else.
My symptoms were actually alleviated when I stopped believing in god for logical reasons, but since OCD isn't rational, whenever I am under stress, I still have to do these prayer-like thought exercises every once in a while...It's weird.
Seems to run in the family on my mother's side. I have mostly the compulsive thoughts, while my younger brother is a compulsive hand-washer.
Anyway, I am glad that some of you feel like this article sheds light on some things in your life for some of you. Talking to professionals helps if you feel like it interferes with your life to such a degree. Don't worry, there is a silver-lining...It is usually correlated with above average intelligence. My mother's cousin has the same issues, and he is a devoutly religious nuclear physicist. Don't see how the 2 go together myself, but I guess he has learned to compartmentalize.
The OCD sufferers also have a mild form of ASD, formerly called Asperger Syndrome, so I am wondering if there is some connection between the two or if its just coincidental. In fact, I find the subject of the relationship between mental illness and genius to be very fascinating. Of course, one isn't NECESSARILY an indicator of the other...For every Nikola Tesla (who also had OCD and other "quirks"), there is a Richard Feynman, who has no known issues.
Raccoon Jesus
Todd McLellan is an inside agent
Liminality
Registered User
- Oct 22, 2008
- 13,366
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It's a deep article, had to hold back and take a break a couple times. it's hard for people to look for help and to accept their help.
I was diagnosed with OCD with intrusive thoughts about 10 years ago, so I can relate to the text 100%. It basically could have been written by me, excluding the professional hockey player part obviously.
One part I want to raise in particular is this:
"In our society, OCD has become shorthand for anybody who carries around a little bottle of hand sanitizer. Yes, compulsive hand-washing can be one of the signs of OCD. However, there are many different variations of OCD, and many of the compulsions are purely mental — you can’t see the disease just by looking at a person. "
The awareness about OCD (and mental health problems in general) has increased during the recent years, which is awesome. Compared to the past, nowadays many people actually know what OCD stands for. What's even better, people suffering from it may have better and easier access to information and help.
However, many people still keep throwing the term too lightly. It's not one or two times I've heard people jokingly comment about someone else's traits. As an example: "Oh, your icons on the PC desktop are perfectly aligned, must be a little OCD going on, ha ha."
OCD is a real issue that can pretty much destroy your life if not treated. You can never get rid of OCD entirely, but you can learn to live with it. It should never be the punchline of a joke. And people have to stop thinking OCD is always "the hand washing disorder".
Much respect to Corey Hirsch for writing this. A great read.
One part I want to raise in particular is this:
"In our society, OCD has become shorthand for anybody who carries around a little bottle of hand sanitizer. Yes, compulsive hand-washing can be one of the signs of OCD. However, there are many different variations of OCD, and many of the compulsions are purely mental — you can’t see the disease just by looking at a person. "
The awareness about OCD (and mental health problems in general) has increased during the recent years, which is awesome. Compared to the past, nowadays many people actually know what OCD stands for. What's even better, people suffering from it may have better and easier access to information and help.
However, many people still keep throwing the term too lightly. It's not one or two times I've heard people jokingly comment about someone else's traits. As an example: "Oh, your icons on the PC desktop are perfectly aligned, must be a little OCD going on, ha ha."
OCD is a real issue that can pretty much destroy your life if not treated. You can never get rid of OCD entirely, but you can learn to live with it. It should never be the punchline of a joke. And people have to stop thinking OCD is always "the hand washing disorder".
Much respect to Corey Hirsch for writing this. A great read.
Doctor No
Registered User
This is a great article.
I work with mental health / chemical dependency in my daily job, and I've seen a lot of things.
I'm also a hockey goaltender, who's been diagnosed with both OCD and generalized anxiety disorder.
Stories like these will hopefully go a long way towards "normalizing" mental health in society (where it's normal to have a broken leg, but it's not macho to have clinical depression).
Thank you, Corey.
I work with mental health / chemical dependency in my daily job, and I've seen a lot of things.
I'm also a hockey goaltender, who's been diagnosed with both OCD and generalized anxiety disorder.
Stories like these will hopefully go a long way towards "normalizing" mental health in society (where it's normal to have a broken leg, but it's not macho to have clinical depression).
Thank you, Corey.
Don't necessarily agree with this. Depends on how its done in my opinion. If it's really misinformed, then yes, it is probably not helpful, but, in any case, I don't believe comedy should be restricted just because an issue might be sensitive to some people. Some may even find it helpful to be able to joke about themselves.
I wasn't referring to comedy or humour in general, but to misinformed people not understanding the potential severity of OCD. My choice of words (punchline) was probably not the best, sorry about that.
I'm not sure if I have it, but yeah, OCD was my immediate thought when i read this:
I'm happy I've never experienced it on Hirsch's levels, but it's still been a bit of a problem for me. For example the need to yawn an extra time. Then again, again and again. (Forcing multiple yawns will drive you crazy) Or that I'm doing some unnecessesary movements with my lips/nose when I'm trying to sleep. It sounds harmless but it's been keeping me awake for hours. Then you feel like a freak and then you eventually sleep.
I can't imagine the hell Corey Hirsch has been going through.
This sounds like it for sure. I have to turn lights on an on a certain number of times (2, 3, 5, 7... Seems mostly aligned with prime numbers) before things feel correct. If I don't do it, I start getting more paranoid until I do it. It's a bad circle, because if you give in to it, it can get worse. So if you notice that, it might be good to get some help.
Wow, pretty heavy stuff. Just goes to show that no matter what someone's social status is, you never know what they're feeling inside. Mental illnesses are extremely serious and it's good to see someone like him open up about it to hopefully raise more awareness. Much respect to Mr. Hirsch
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