Former England batter Marcus Trescothick has called for more sports stars to open up about their struggles with mental health.
Trescothick, who was made an OBE for services to mental health on Wednesday, suffered from related issues throughout his career.
After the award ceremony with the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle, he told the PA news agency: “There’s always more that can be done (in sports).
“Of course, more research and funding will help. But the more people who are open to telling stories and letting people know they are not alone, then the easier it is. And that’s more help than anything else.
“You’re not unique, you’re not different. It’s just something that people go through. The more you can sympathise with people and let them know that you’re there to help, then the better it will be.”
Now a coach with England, Trescothick retired from international duty in 2008 because of his struggles with mental health.
Asked how these issues have influenced his work since, he said: “Hugely. Everything I’ve gone through helps me in terms of guiding someone else, of talking to somebody else about it.
“On a daily basis I’m reliving it with someone, or (during) some interview, or (during) some way of raising awareness.
“The more people that can do that and live to tell the story then the better it’s going to be. We know there’ll be many more people who will suffer and do suffer.
“So the more we can continue on in the same fashion, then hopefully in time it will make it easier. We need to make sure we break down the barriers.
“We know there’ll be many more people who will suffer and do suffer.”
Trescothick confirmed his plans to continue as batting coach with England and shared his optimism for the future of the national team.
He said: “I’m feeling good (about England). There’s a bit of a rest period at the moment for international cricket because of the IPL (Indian Premier League) and then there’s a bit more of a break until the next Test matches.
“The England team have gone well. We’ve got a big summer ahead against West Indies and Sri Lanka in the Test matches.
“The white ball team are playing Pakistan and then the World T20. There’s a lot of domestic cricket coming up and obviously then the international summer starts in a few weeks.
“So once the sun comes out finally and it stops raining it’s exciting times now. From springtime heading into the summer, everybody’s really looking forward to getting back into cricket time.”