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 – and continues to receive – charted his post-Olympic course.
Because he is willing to share his story of depression and raise awareness of mental health issues, Phelps was to be given the fifth annual Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion on Tuesday night in Boston.
After participating in four Olympic Games and collecting 28 medals, including 23 gold, Phelps has dedicated his time and energy to promoting the importance of water safety and advocating for the de-stigmatization of mental health problems through the Michael Phelps Foundation.
