Last week it was reported that Vince Young was contemplating suicide.  It is of course a very serious matter, but what bothered me immensely was the way in which it was reported.  Tennessee Titans Coach, Jeff Fisher, informed the media that Young's therapist had told him that Vince Young may be a threat to himself.  I was appalled, not because Vince Young was having troubles but rather because, what right did Fisher have to report Young's mental health condition to the media?

First, I don't understand why the team therapist was reporting her worries about Vince Young to Coach Fisher.  If Young's marketing manager did in fact call the team therapist because Young had left his home without his cell phone and with a gun, why did the therapist not call the police?  Why call Fisher?  How could Young trust his therapist again after this incident?  She may be a Titans team employee, but her first responsibility is to Vince Young, her patient.  Again, the therapist did have an obligation under the Tarasoff case ruling to breach confidentiality if she believed that Young was a viable threat to himself or another, but why call coach?  Not only does that breach Young's rights as a patient, but it appears to have possibly contributed to his having lost his starting role with the Titans.  Despite this troubling aspect of the story, what interests me in writing this column is Fisher's reporting Young's contemplating suicide to the media and the subsequent reaction.

As I stated above, I was appalled at first that this sensitive material was leaked to the media.  Vince Young's mental health and any troubles he is having in his personal life are no business of the public's.  However, I tried to play devil's advocate. The reporting of any health issues regarding athletes has become acceptable to all.  If a player sprains a knee and it affects his ability to play on Sunday, it gets reported.  In fact, the coaches are obligated to report the matter in the weekly injury report.  If a player has a hangnail, you're likely to know about it.  Therefore, if a quarterback, whose position is the most cerebral of all the positions in football, is suffering from some kind of anxiety or mental health issue that could affect his play at QB, shouldn't it be in the report as well?  Isn't the public entitled to know about a health issue that could affect the most important player on the field's performance?  I think that mental health matters should be accepted as a part of life and not taboo.  So am I a hypocrite for not wanting to hear about Vince Young's contemplating suicide from a reputable media outlet?  In a perfect world, yes, I'd be a hypocrite, but of course the world we live in is far different from the perfect world I speak of, where mental health is treated the same way physical health is.  And that's when I leave the thought of that perfect world and go back to reality.  I do think that we have a right to know about a player's knee or hip injuries that could affect his play.  I don't think anyone disagrees with that, but my logic doesn't fall apart because there is not a stigma attached to a knee injury.  Nobody bats an eyelash when a ballplayer strains an oblique.

We all know that accepting help when it comes to mental health has a tremendous stigma.  In fact, I almost wonder which would be worse for a player's image, having taken steroids and admitting to it or having seen a therapist and admitting to it.  I'm not even exagerrating.  Think about it for a second.  Baseball players who took steroids are often forgiven yet name a player who has been open with his mental health issues and thrived thereafter in his career.  Look at all of the damage control that Jeff Fisher has tried to do with the media in regard to Vince Young.  Too often people who struggle with their happiness or self-esteem are outcasts, especially if they are rich and famous.  People think that if they had enough money they'd be happy, yet studies reveal that lottery winners go back to their previous levels of happiness within a year of hitting their jackpots.  You may think I'm exaggerating, but look up the name of Thomas Eagleton.  He was the Vice-Presidential nominee of Democratic hopeful George McGovern in 1972 against Richard Nixon.  That was until Eagleton's mental health issues surfaced.  He tried to conceal them by getting medication in his wife's name, but Eagleton's doctor's warned McGovern of the issues and Eagleton was subsequently dropped from the ticket.  We've had Senators who have had drunken hit and run accidents, Mayors who have smoked crack, a President who may or may not have done cocaine, but no, we can't have a Vice-President who had to see a doctor and have medicine prescribed for a mental health issue.  That would apparently be a travesty.

Even in trying to appear neutral and accepting of Vince Young's situation, here's what ESPN wrote of Vince Young after Jeff Fisher revealed that Young might not be the starting QB even after his knee heals in a couple of weeks:  "It gives Young time to deal with his off-field issues after the team was given information that resulted in a call to police for help finding the quarterback, prompting a national discussion over his mental attitude."  That's about as positive a response as you'll find on Vince Young's situation and it really upsets me.  There are people who can't even tell their best friends about issues with anxiety and depression for fear that they will be laughed or demeaned, and that fear is not all that unfounded.  Seeing a shrink is often made fun of in several arenas, from everyday talk among friends to movies like There's Something About Mary and Bad Boys II off of the top of my head.  I know people who owe much of their everyday happiness to work that they've done with their therapists; and it is work.  It's like physical therapy.  You get the tools and then do the stretches on your own.  You may still be susceptible in the future to a setback but you'll know about it and know how to help yourself when situations arise.  Tell me, what's wrong with that?  Furthermore, if it's troublesome in everyday society to publicly deal with depression, imagine what it's like in an NFL clubhouse.  Maybe it's better you don't imagine.  Let's just say, I don't envy Vince Young's situation.

I personally believe that mental health issues should be treated as any other health issues.  If you have a shoulder injury, you go to the doctor to get it checked out and the doctor helps you.  If you're having a bout with depression, you go to the doctor if you can, and you get help.  I really have no patience for people who won't help themselves.  To me that is about as ignorant as it gets.  A therapist can give you the ability to understand how your mind works and why you act a certain way.  It can allow you to be more introspective if that is a skill you do not already possess.  I was very happy that David Chase had Tony Soprano see a therapist so that society could see that therapy is not only for the physically weak.  The epitome of the Alpha-male saw a therapist so why couldn't anybody else?  Sounded good to me.  But, again, society doesn't view it that way.  If you're Vince Young, you're not supposed to see a therapist.  You're weak.  You're a mama's boy.  So you have to hide it, like it's something to be ashamed of, because there are smart people out there who look down on you, brilliant people like Tom Cruise who denounce mental health treatment.  I hope this latest series of events does not dissuade Vince Young from seeing another therapist who could help him sort things out.  I hope it doesn't dissuade others from helping themselves by seeking the help of professionals who can improve their quality of life.  If you know me, you know that I know better.  The Vince Young situation will prevent people from helping themselves.  When will our society grow up?  Robert De Niro may have said it best in "A Bronx Tale" when he said, "the saddest thing in life is wasted talent."  What kind of person are you if you make the choice not to improve yourself?  You're the kind of person who lets the small-minded people out there dictate how you live your life and the kind of person who will never realize his full potential.  I feel sorry for you too.

Note:  I injured my shoulder pretty badly so I'm typing with one hand.  Therefore, we're probably going to be at two RW columns per week for a little while.  I apologize for the shortage.