Bernard: I see shrink for anxiety

EVERTON winger Bernard has revealed he has been seeing a psychologist after suffering a devastating bout of anxiety.

The Brazilian has been in therapy for a year – and says he is determined to share his experience to help others.

Speaking about his mental health for the first time Bernard, 27, (below) insisted he was “stronger and more positive” as a result of deciding to undergo treatment.

He told Everton TV: “I never thought I would require this type of treatment. But now I see how much I’ve evolved as a person, as a human being, how much this has helped me in my work.

“There are a lot of people who see us as role models and think our lives must be perfect and that nothing could affect us.

“But it’s something that could happen to people closer to us than we imagine.”

The star – who has 14 caps for Brazil and joined Everton from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £21.5million deal two years ago – is a champion of the club’s People’s Place, a proposed mental health facility close to Goodison Park.

He added: “We’re all vulnerable to any type of situation, as we’re human like everyone else.

“In a lot of cases I see that people are resistant and don’t seek help… they don’t take medication that could help with the process.

“I was taken by surprise but I’ve always been a person who bottled everything up and kept everything that happens in my life to myself.

“I think it’s only people who have been through such an attack who really understand the intensity, the way it manifests itself and how difficult it is.”