This episode of the Grim Drive Podcast, where we explore mental health through the lens of professional sports and athletes, takes a look at DeMar DeRozan + Depression.

Depression affects 17.3 million adults in the US alone, or 7.1% of the population. This percentage is even higher among those ages 18-25, at 13.1%. DeMar DeRozan, a superstar basketball player in the NBA, is one of those 17.3 million.

For those who have experienced depression, is it often one of the hardest things they will ever have to deal with. And yet, many still do not understand how severe this issue is or how difficult it can be to ensure. To those who have never experienced a migraine headache, it is often viewed as “just a headache.” But to those who have experienced it, these things are nowhere near comparable. Depression, similarly, is often viewed as “sadness” but this descriptor comes nowhere close to capturing the suffering that usually accompanies depression.

This episode delves into DeMar DeRozan’s experience with depression. We discuss our takeaways from him opening up about mental health, depression as a mental health issue, and strategies for how to combat depression for those who also struggle to overcome this widespread issue.

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DeMar DeRozan related links:

Lupus Canada: https://lupuscanada.org/about-us/celebrity-ambassadors/

Video interview (along with Kevin Love) with Dr. Michael Gervais, psychologist who works with the Seahawks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBeN9WcRKtk

Video interview (along with Michael Phelps) with Taylor Rooks (sports journalist): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuYT9BGroJM

The Globe and Mail Article (4/29/18): https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/article- how-a-derozan-tweet-sparked-a-mental-health-dialogue/

NBA.com article (2/26/18):

https://www.nba.com/news/demar-derozan-toronto-raptors-opens-about-depression-tweet

Bleacher Report article (2/26/18): https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2761543-demar-derozan-discusses-depression-personal-struggles-were-all-human

Grim Drive Example: Justin Beaver: https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/1337918407287525378

Info on Depression: Data Source: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) – 2017

• Affects 17.3 million adults in the United States (7.1% of all U.S. adults)
• Highest among individuals aged 18-25 (13.1%)
  • We would guess those numbers are much higher in 2020
• Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the US; 2nd leading cause of death among those ages 10-34 (48k suicides in 2018)
  • Over the last 20 years, the rate of suicide has increased 35%
  • Rate of suicide for males is 3.7x higher than females

Depression (DSM-V): ***Jargon Free

• 5+ of the following:
  • Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day (sad/empty/hopeless)
  • Reduced interest in activities
  • Significant weight changes (gain or loss not related to dieting)
  • Sleep issues
  • Slower movement/thinking
  • Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day
  • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
  • Recurrent thoughts of death (passive/active SI)

Some of our suggestions for those struggling with Depression:

Reducing Depression: Quick Tips

• Depression is NOT you, you are not your depression (view as external force)
• Understand that the scale of change when depressed is small…respect that and give yourself credit for changes made
• Be aware of the key difference between feeling run down and tired when SICK physically, vs. feeling those symptoms due to depression (when sick, you need rest; when depression, you NEED to get active)
• Talk to someone (part of getting better is making sure you’re not getting worse)
  • VALIDATION needed
• Focus on self…to a point
  • Initially, this is good
  • At times, too much focus on self can backfire (like looking in a mirror too often)
    • Instead, focus on helping others too (DeMar alludes to empowerment through helping others)

CBT: Behavioral ACTIVATION (easier to start with behavior change)

***Behaviors can be ACTIVE or PASSIVE (active = exercise / passive = avoidance/isolation

***We want to remove unhealthy behaviors, and implement as many healthy behaviors as we can

• Exercise (anything that releases endorphins, bodies natural versions of morphine)
• Set goals that focus on things we can control
  • – Process over product (when it comes to goal setting)
    • – Live on the scale of a day
• Spend time with trusted friends and family
• Healthy morning/night routines and prioritizing sleep
• Mindfulness-based meditation and breathing techniques

CBT: COGNITIVE changes (thoughts)

• Treat yourself like a best friend
  • “i” vs “me” / self vs. ego / self 1 (actual self) vs. self 2 (internal critic)
  • All synonymous
  • • Learn how to lead the critic, not the other way around
• Adaptive responses throughout each day
• Counteract the slant towards negativity
  • Grateful Project/exercise is one example (Tesla effect)

The post Episode 2: DeMar DeRozan + Depression first appeared on Grim Drive.