Bundesliga News

Schmidt speaks on mental health struggles: "One has to deal with them openly."

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

After netting a goal in a test fixture against Real Murcia, SV Werder Bremen midfielder Niklas Schmidt furnished some surprisingly candid comments about the mental health issues footballers too must face. 
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Former German youth international Niklas Schmidt has, by all accounts, garnered some professional success in the past year. The 24-year-old midfielder has made seven top-flight appearances for SV Werder Bremen. Schmidt even netted his first Bundesliga goal during his team's sensational comeback against Borussia Dortmund on the season's third matchday.


Stepping in front of the dictaphones on Wednesday after scoring again in a Bremen test fixture against Spain's Real Murcia, Schmidt could have easily furnished some blasé and forgettable comments on football in general. The Kasel-native instead opted to utilize his exposure to a different effect.

Schmidt spoke on some of his recent mental health struggles. The 27-times-capped German youth international freely admitted that he was currently in treatment for psychiatric problems. In dealing with the topic, Schmidt remained forthright about the fact that he was still struggling with symptoms of depression.

"I'm working through things right now," Schmidt noted, "What will come out of it, I don't know. Unfortunately, I cannot see into the future."

Schmidt wished to avert the use of the word "depression". Moreover, he did keep some distance from the exact details of what was ailing him. The player spoke of "a problem that had been developing since childhood" before emphasizing that he "didn't wish to delve too deep into it."

For Schmidt, the main purpose of broaching the topic was simply to raise awareness of the issue. Like many German football lovers, Schmidt has never forgotten the suicide of German national team keeper Robert Enke in 2009. Schmidt cited this, along with some of Bayern defender Benjamin Pavard's struggles with depression during the pandemic, as a reason to keep such issues in the public sphere.


"Sadly, it's still a taboo subject," Schmidt noted, "It's very important that I address this, because I believe I'm not alone. I needed to open up [to my coach and teammates] about my problems so that I could get them off my chest. On-pitch matters weren't as important to me as what was going on in my private life."

"I found myself losing my passion for life," Schmidt revealed when discussing the onset of his problems some time back, "People around you become concerned for you and - even if you don't want to hear it - you have do admit that you're not doing well and seek help."

"It's important that footballers don't bottle it up, like Robert Enke did" Schmidt continued, "It's about dealing with it openly and showing that something like this can also happen to us footballers, who always take on a special role in society. That's very important and I would also like to tell everyone who has comparable problem - whether athletes or not, everyone should deal with it openly."

Schmidt thanked his club for assisting him with seeking psychiatric treatment. He also thanked his family and especially his girlfriend for compelling him to seek professional help.

"Everyone deserves to have a drive-to-live," Schmidt concluded, "I'm trying to clear my head and work back to that."


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