James Hird reveals stint in psychiatric facility for depression after Essendon supplements saga

AN upbeat James Hird has revealed he will never be embarrassed by his battle with depression and talks about the issue as part of his recovery, after revealing he spent five weeks in a psychiatric facility last year after the Essendon supplements saga.

AN upbeat James Hird has revealed he will never be embarrassed by his battle with depression and talks about the issue as part of his recovery.

The Essendon champion has told of the five weeks he spent in a psychiatric facility last year fighting depression.

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He has opened up to Hawthorn great Shane Crawford in a revealing new podcast series, Crawf & Hirdy We Talk Football.

James Hird has spoken about his battle with depression on a new podcast with Shane Crawford. Picture: Getty Images

In the series the 45-year-old tells Crawford how he:

SPENT five weeks battling his depression in a psychiatric facility;

TRAVELLED alone on trains during day breaks from his treatment;

WOULD rather endure the facial fractures he suffered as a footballer every day than suffer the pain of mental illness;

WILL consider a job offer from Fremantle, but that returning to football would be a big step; and

FELT trapped in his own home at the height of the supplements saga.

Hird underwent treatment for clinical depression in a Melbourne clinic last January after the pressure of the Essendon supplements scandal pushed him to breaking point.

“When I was in my little psychiatric hospital for five weeks, they let me out for half a day, and I didn’t know what to do,” he said.

“I didn’t have a car; I didn’t have anything, so I went and bought a Myki card and got on a train. I took it to Sandringham, and then took it back (to the psychiatric hospital).

“One person who was there, he would go (into the clinic) once a year for a week. He felt it stopped him going down the deep, dark abyss that he could get into.”

Hird said he would rather endure the sickening facial fractures he suffered during a 2002 AFL game “everyday” than go through his dark struggle with serious depression again.

James Hird after colliding with another player and injuring his face during his playing days.

“I smashed my skull in Perth and had 15 metal plates in my head, and I would do that every day before going through that battle with depression because it is debilitating and it puts your brain in a place where you do some really stupid, irrational things,” he said.

“My battles have been fairly public ... when you are suffering from depression, it is something you can’t control.

“Funnily enough, (mental health) is not something I am embarrassed about, or don’t mind talking about.

“There are a lot of things in my life that I want to keep very quiet; my family and things like that.

“But that part of my life, for some reason, I don’t think it needs to be private and I need to talk about it, about the effects it had on me and other people.”

Hird confirmed he was considering a return to football with an offer to join the Fremantle Dockers as a part-time opposition coach.

“I had a chat to Fremantle about the possibility of playing a very small role in 2018,” he said.

“It is very nice to be asked, and sounded out.

“The ability to work with someone like Ross (Lyon), his knowledge of football and the way he has worked in football is appealing. Where the club is going is appealing too. “There are a few issues we need to work through.

“I really enjoy football and I enjoy watching it and being a part of it, but there are other parts of life.

“It is a small role but a big decision.

“For everything my family and I have been through in football — do we want to step back into that part of life ... perhaps not.”

James Hird has teamed up with Shane Crawford for a new podcast. Picture: Michael Klein

Shane Crawford said he was keen to see Hirdy involved in footy again.

While football brought him great reward during his stellar career, it also turned his life upside down when the Essendon supplements scandal erupted in 2013.

With media camped outside his house for months at a time he revealed he on occasions resorted to jumping over the back fence to escape questions.

“At the time we had a building site over the back (fence). They were building a house, so if you really had to get out, you could jump over the back and go through the building site and escape that way,” he said.

“But you sort of felt like you were being trapped in your house.

“(Sometimes) you would say hello to the builders and walk through (the back fence).

“Everyone said ‘why didn’t you put gates on your house’, (but) with the council, it was a three-month wait when you had to put your permit in, so Tania (his wife) and I would talk and say, ‘surely this thing is going to be over in three months’.

“Anyway, four years later, we probably should have put in those gates.”

Hird said mental health as a topic was becoming easier to speak about as people became aware of just how widespread the issue was.

“I think there is more of it about ... but I think we are more mature in talking about it, and bringing it to the fore, and realising it is not something to be embarrassed about,” he said.

“It is something that is out there in the community, let’s not just keep this to AFL football, it is in all walks of life.”

The pair were opponents during their careers.

Hird said he felt troubled tennis player Bernard Tomic should seek professional help for his mental state.

“I think the Bernard Tomic (controversy) is a very sad issue. There are a lot of people jumping on his back. He is not behaving as someone should,” Hird said.

“To me, it is a sign of someone who has some serious issues. You talk about mental health, and I am not a doctor or a psychologist, but ... there is a reason why people behave like that. I think he needs some help.

“It feels to me as if he is going through something he needs professional help for.”

Former Hawthorn champion Crawford said he approached Hird late last year with the idea of a footy podcast, eager to see the Essendon champion get back involved in the game.

“It’s awesome to have James back talking about footy again,” Crawford said.

“He and his family have been through a great deal. It’s always hard to see someone hitting rock bottom, but the positive thing is that he is back, he’s smiling, and he’s talking about a game that he was a superstar at.

“I’d love to get him back on The Footy Show full-time at some stage, but at the moment we probably just need focus on round 1.”

Listen to the first two podcasts from Crawf and Hirdy here

Future episodes will be available on iTunes each Monday and Friday.

Crawfhirdy.com