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Soccer star Steven May opens up about his long battle with depression, after dealing with the suicide of family and friends as a young man.
- Melbourne Demons gun Steven May has lifted the lid on his mental health woes
- The 30-year-old said family and friends committed suicide
- He described 2019 as the “most difficult year of my life” after problems off the pitch.
- After speaking with specialists, May is in a better position to combat her depression.
Steven May has lifted the lid on his mental health mix-up as the Melbourne gun revealed how depression kicked in when he moved to the Demons.
On May 30 he was at the heart of Melbourne’s premiership triumph in 2021, commanding the defense with aplomb to help end the club’s 57-year wait to win the flag.
However, he’s also been embroiled in his fair share of drama off the pitch, as he was seen drinking in 2019 while recovering from injury, before being involved in a ‘brawl’ at a restaurant with teammate Jake. Melksham last season.
Steven May has shared his experience with depression in a candid interview posted on Twitter.
But now May has opened up about how the depression has been bubbling below the surface for a long time. In a video posted on Demon’s official Twitter account, the 30-year-old shared his story.
May grew up in Darwin, where she admits “mental health was not an issue”, which had dire consequences.
“I had friends and family kill themselves and I never understood why,” he said. ‘When I was a kid, I thought ‘why would they do that?’
Following his seven-year stint at the Gold Coast, May was signed by the Demons and was very excited at the prospect of playing for a team that reached the preliminary final of the previous season.
But he was immediately hit with a major injury after tearing both groins in Round 1, which ruled him out for 12 weeks. During his spell on the sidelines, the media attention surrounding his drinking session sent him into a downward spiral.
The Melbourne Demons star is known for his no-nonsense and uncompromising style on the pitch.
But away from the oval, he’s had his fair share of problems and was caught drinking while injured in 2019.
“The fact that I couldn’t be on the field helping my teammates made it worse,” he said. “Every time we lost, my name would appear in the media saying ‘they could have used it, but it let the team down’.”
‘You start believing all the bad thoughts in your head and it’s hard to get away from it.
“I disconnected from my colleagues because I felt guilty. My actions did not reflect how I felt about the team, without a doubt it was the most difficult year of my life.
“I’ve probably had mental health issues throughout my life, they come and go, but by the time I got to Melbourne they were going around and getting stronger.” I just couldn’t get rid of this feeling of being sad all the time and angry.
May said she sought help and is now in a better position to combat her depression.
“Even though I was at the club I wanted to go to, I played football again, but something was still missing.
“The guys would play cricket at lunchtime or shoot hoops, but I’d just grab my phone, sit in a corner and scroll through Instagram, just not there.”
May sought help from the club psychologist where she ‘began to unpack’ her depression. She says that she now finds solace in playing golf, which allows her to ‘reset’ every week.