No Discrimination
Cate Campbell’s battle with Depression
A.M Bailey
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, delayed to 2021, was a time when the world’s athletes were uncertain if they would get the opportunity to compete. The suspension caused much anticipation and more than a billion people crowded around their screens to finally watch their favourite athletes compete. Australian competitors included Ariarne Titmus, Kyle Chalmers and the Campbell sisters; who were the first Australian siblings on the same Olympic swimming team, since the 1972 Olympics. They were also the first Australian sisters ever to compete in the same swimming event at the Olympics, helping Australia claim medals in a series of events. What the crowd didn’t see behind the scenes was the blood, sweat and tears that athletes put mentally and physically into their specialised events. All for one goal, a Gold medal at the Olympics.
The strive for these achievements can have a massive impact on an athlete’s mental health. A year ago, Cate Campbell spoke up about how mental health doesn’t discriminate and how it can impact one of the most physically fit individuals in the swimming world.
“I’m used to being self-reliant. It was so unenjoyable, and swimming has never been that for me. Even through all the ups and downs, it never got to the point where I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to run away. I was trying to think of every possible scenario where I could get out of it and not have to explain why I wasn’t going to compete.” Campbell’s entire career had been about resilience and being able to deal with the slings and arrows of unforgiving professional sport. She rose from the canvas after a difficult Games in Rio to return from Tokyo with two relay Golds and an individual Bronze.
Heading towards Tokyo, the 4-year high of winning 3 medals began to diminish and reality set in. She began feeling trapped and helpless and resisted seeking professional help until weeks before departing for Japan. Taking medication was, to her, another sign of perceived weakness. She commented on the experience, “I felt like I wasn’t strong enough. I went on medication just before the Olympics and, before that, I was willing to accept I had depression and anxiety. It was impacting my everyday life. But I was very anti-going on medication because I thought it was something I could fix myself. That was my version of being tough.”
A year on, Campbell again spoke up recognising that Mental Health was something she used to be ashamed about but is now trying to push for greater awareness about a condition many Aussies suffer from.
“I only realised I had a subconscious stigma towards Mental Health when I was confronted with my battles. I never viewed mental illness as a weakness, until it happened to me,” Campbell says. “I never judged anyone for suffering from it, until I judged myself.”
Campbell is using her personal experience to remove the stigma of the condition this Mental Health Month. Advocating that “Together, we need to lift the veil on Mental Health and help society understand ways to work with people experiencing mental health concerns and navigate the process with acceptance and without judgement and criticism.”
Ultimately, Cate and her family are trying to spread awareness and make it easier for people to speak up about their mental health, as she tries to drop the stigma surrounding individuals’ internal battles as we move into a week dedicated to spreading awareness about World Mental Health.