"Shaun White was like 'Oh my God, that's depression?'"- When Michael Phelps recalled making the snowboarder aware of his mental health struggles

Modified Dec 22, 2024 22:30 GMT

Michael Phelps once revealed that he made Shaun White realize he was experiencing depression while speaking about his own mental health struggles to the three-time Olympic champion. The American swimmer had suicidal thoughts at one point in his career before recovering ahead of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Phelps retired from the sport following the 2012 London Olympics, and what he had planned to be a time of enjoyment for him post-retirement turned into extreme distress. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist struggled with severe depression.

A DUI arrest in 2014 put the Baltimore Bullet on the road to recovery and he eventually made a comeback at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he felt in control of himself for the first time. In an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2022, Phelps said:

"For me, the first time I would say I was in control of it (depression) was in ’16 in Rio, where I felt like I was aware of my surroundings, me, everything that was going on. But I also felt like I could see other people struggling who weren’t quite aware of what that struggle actually was."

The ability to recognize people's struggles led the swimmer to help fellow American Olympian Shaun White realize he also struggling with depression.

"I had Shaun White sitting next to me at a gig. He basically turned to me and was like, “Oh my god, that’s depression? Woah. That’s what I’ve been feeling?,” Michael Phelps added.

White, who retired following the 2022 Winter Olympics with three Olympic gold medals in half-pipe snowboarding, has also acknowledged Phelps' role in making him realize he was going through depression.

“That really blew me away" - Shaun White on listening to Michael Phelps' mental health struggles

The 2017 ESPYS - Michael Phelps with Shaun White on Red Carpet - Source: Getty

In an interview on CNBC in 2022, Shaun White revealed that after hearing Michael Phelps openly talk about his depression, he related to the swimmer's mental health struggles and realized he had been experiencing similar things in his career.

“That really blew me away.

“It takes so much courage to actually talk about it. It’s not a weakness," he said.

Earlier in an interview in 2021, the five-time Olympic medalist had revealed he now openly talked about his struggles after realizing he wasn't the only one experiencing such things.

“I talk about it now. t’s not something that I really brought up much when I was younger, because I thought I was the only one going through it, or having these thoughts," he said.

Both White and Michael Phelps have since advocated for industry-wide change regarding mental health and have played a crucial role in reducing the stigma around mental illness.