Phelps honored for honesty on mental health, helping others

BALTIMORE (AP) » While swimming to Olympic glory, Michael Phelps found comfort in the pool and quite a bit of angst out of it.

His bout with depression reached its nadir in 2014 after a second DUI arrest. That’s when the most decorated Olympian of all time checked himself into a rehabilitative center in a desperate effort to make sense of it all.

“When I was in my room and not wanting to talk to anybody for a number of days and not wanting to be alive, I wanted to see what other roads I could take to see if there was help,” Phelps recalled.

The treatment he received safety and advocating for the de-stigmatization of mental health problems through the Michael Phelps Foundation.

“WhenI first really opened up about the struggles that I had in ‘15, obviously I dreamed of being able to get more publicity to this and to really share my journey and have other people share their journeys with me as well,” Phelps said. “Honestly, I never thought it would be as big as this, but it’s been a true dream to be able to watch the growth that mental health has taken, almost being at center stage.”

To say this endeavor has been fulfilling is an understatement.

“Through this, if I can save one life, two lives, five lives, a thousand, a million, to me that’s so much more important than winning a gold medal,” he said.

The 33-year-old Phelps believes his bout with depression is a story that many can share, including CEOs and other retired athletes. After accomplishing every goal he set for himself, what was left to do?

“Probably my first real depression spell was after 2004, then the next big one was after 2008,” he said. “When you set out to be an Olympian, your whole life is put on hold. All the eggs are in one basket. I would say 2004, 2008, 2012, partly after ‘16 (all Olympic years) I’ve dealt with pretty severe depression spells. I was kind of lost at that point.”

The Baltimore native is in a far better frame of mind now.