Opals basketball star Liz Cambage talks about depression battle

BASKETBALL star Liz Cambage has spoken out about her fight with mental illness after the Opals Olympic squad member battled depression mid-last year.

BASKETBALL star Liz Cambage has spoken out about her fight with mental illness.

The Opals squad member, who is preparing to fly out to Brazil this week for the Rio Olympics, battled depression in the middle of last year and continues to have to manage the condition.

Some days, the 24-year-old found it difficult to get out of bed.

“I’ve juggled it since I was a teenager, and had a few mental issues here and there,” she said.

“Last year I had depression again and I really, really struggled in China (where she was playing for a Shanghai team in the national competition.)

“I guess I’ve never been really open about my mental health. I think everyone has things they keep close to themselves. I’m not even open with my mum — she’ll probably read this in the paper, and she has no idea, and that’s just the way I’ve always been about it.

Liz Cambage

Liz Cambage

“I’ve just kept to myself, and only really one or two friends have known.

“You get so used to being told, ‘Oh, you look tired today’, and it’s like ‘Yeah, I am tired, because I literally couldn’t get myself out of bed today; I couldn’t sleep last night’.

“To be an elite athlete is really hard when you’re depressed,” Cambage said.

“I think there’s definitely a stigma with mental health.

“I think we need to normalise not being OK, because everyone goes through their tough times.”

Cambage said she had been seeing a psychologist over the past few years, which had helped her.

Despite her private battles, she said she had remained focused on the Olympic Games.

“My main goal for the past couple of years has been just to push myself and get through to the Olympics,” Cambage said.

But after the Games, she will take a break “and try to figure everything out’’.

“You can get trapped into your box, or your profession, and it can consume you. What you do can consume you if you don’t have a release,” she said.

“Going to the gym has always been a good release for me, just mentally and physically. Music has always been another release of mine.”

Cambage was controversially cut from the Australian team last July, after she went to a music festival rather than attend a training camp.

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Originally published as Opals basketball star Liz Cambage talks about depression battle