THE tragic news of the death of Liam Treadwell was announced this week. The shock was felt widely, and not just by the many who knew him well, his family and close friends, but also by the greater racing community.

I sought a number of ways to address this news in this column, struggling to deal with a difficult, but all too common situation, with care. Then along came a call from a friend of this column, Lewis King. He is well known to many professionals in the sport through his work, with others, among the Irish jockeys. He had a clear message to get across.

On Thursday, he told me: “Whilst I didn’t know Liam personally, I knew of his racing career, and of course that fantastic 100/1 winner in the Grand National aboard Mon Mome.

“What struck me over the days following the sad news was that very few articles mentioned how Liam died. Suicide.

“We must talk about suicide. We need to talk about suicide. Failure to do so perpetuates the stigma associated with mental health difficulties, which is ultimately what led to a man taking his own life.

“Another jockey and friend of Liam’s, James Banks, took his life only a few months before. The trainer Richard Woollacott also died by suicide.

“The racing industry does look after those who work within it, particularly jockeys and especially in Ireland and Britain, with helplines and industry funded support programmes. However, more needs to be done. I was struck by a tweet from Irish jockey Sean Flanagan who pleaded ‘If there is anyone out there at all struggling, with anything at all, please talk to someone, anyone. Help is there’.”

Stigma

Lewis continued with another important issue. “I want to talk about two types of stigma that exist, public stigma and self-stigma. Public stigma is the anticipated negative stereotypes from others towards people’s race, sexuality, gender, and mental health, among others. You may have heard people say that those with depression are weak; that schizophrenics are a danger to society.

“I was on holiday once and a man of a similar age to me said he thought ‘depression is made up and that we just need to get on with our lives’. These negative stereotypes may result in self-stigma, the internalising of those negative public stereotypes. For instance, an individual may say that if those with depression are weak, therefore I must be weak. Wrong.

“It’s important to highlight these two types of stigma. If we think about the jockey, for example, what are they renowned for? Being tough, strong, resilient, stoic, win at all costs. The act of reaching out for help may be perceived as the opposite of this. However, reaching out, showing vulnerability, must be perceived as a strength, not as a weakness. To let someone in, to admit you need support, that’s a tough thing to do.

“Jockeys, in spite of what they put themselves through on a daily basis, are normal people, living in a relentless pressure bubble. The constant desire to win; the uncertainty; the search for the horse that is going to raise your profile and take you to the Curragh or Cheltenham. The stressors and strains associated with this career are like no other. There is no time to switch off, and it’s an insular world.

“One jockey I spoke with for my PhD study told me ‘I don’t think I’d speak to anyone in racing because you don’t want to be known as weak’. Trainers also experience a wide range of occupational stressors. A recent study conducted in Britain reported that stressors mainly arise from the following areas: dealing with people; caring for horses; working long hours; business issues; performance; job tasks; harassment and public image.

“Once again, as with jockeys, the pressure is relentless. Racing is extremely competitive. Horses may be removed from a trainer’s yard unexpectedly. A horse might become injured and suddenly the flag bearer of the yard is out of the picture.

“In my own research, we have identified that jockeys report mental health difficulties such as depression and anxiety at a comparable rate to athletes from other sports. Data analysis is still underway for trainers, but preliminary findings suggest that trainers in Ireland reported mental health difficulties at a greater rate than trainers in Australia. Moreover, 64% of trainers reported financial difficulties within the past 12 months.

Support

“As such, it’s evident that support structures need to be put in place for both jockeys and trainers. But will they access these services? I’ve mentioned stigma already, but what other barriers are in place? What are jockeys’ and trainers’ attitudes and beliefs towards reaching out? What will help jockeys and trainers to reach out? We are hoping to find out the answers to these questions over the next few months. The goal is to help identify how best to support those within the industry.

“The project is being undertaken by myself, at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), Dr SarahJane Cullen (WIT), Dr Giles Warrington (University of Limerick; Health Research Institute, UL), Dr Adrian McGoldrick (former senior IHRB medical officer), Dr Jennifer Pugh (Senior IHRB Medical Officer), and Dr Ciara Losty (WIT).

“Trainers and jockeys are able to access support for their mental health by using the Industry Assistance Programme (IAP) at http://www.workinracing.ie/industry-welfare/industry-assistance-programme/ or contact on 1800 303 588. The IAP provides information, resources and counselling on all the challenges that life may bring. That includes depression, suicidal thoughts, debt and money worries, health and wellness, emotional well-being, bereavement or loss, work-life balance, managing stress and relationships. The service is free, available 24-hours and confidential.

“Other charities that provide mental health support to individuals include Aware, 1800 804848 (www.aware.ie), Pieta House 01 623 5606 (www.pieta.ie), and Mental Health Ireland (www.mentalhealthireland.ie).

“The Jockey Pathway, based at RACE in Kildare, is also a free, professional support service to all licensed jockeys and provides them with expert nutrition, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, and sport psychology services. Follow @jockeyfit on Twitter for regular updates on sessions that are running.”