Michael Vaughan on fighting ‘awful’ stress-related illness: I was embarrassed

Former English cricketer Michael Vaughan opened up on the mental health struggles he has been battling for the last nine months. One of England’s most charismatic captains, Vaughan, talked about the times when he had to resort to medication after going into a slump due to a stress-related illness. The 49-year-old revealed the troubles he faced in his day-to-day life and was ‘embarrassed’ to go out of his home.

Vaughan, who played 82 Tests, 86 ODIs and 2 T20Is, said that he would be grateful if his revelation could help people find their way out of mental trauma. The veteran dropped a post on his social media handle. He also thanked his doctor for prescribing him the right medicines and helping him survive through the tumultuous times.

‘Hope I can help one or two people’

“Today I have spoken about the stress-related illness I have been fighting for 9 months. I don’t want sympathy as I was lucky enough to see a specialist early to give me the best medication. If this helps one person, it has been worth it,” Vaughan wrote on X.

“I’ll be honest with you; I was never going to speak about it. But then I thought, ‘Wait a minute, there are probably quite a few people who go through similar and stay silent’. I don’t want this to appear as if I’m after any sympathy, because I’m not. I just hope I can help one or two people,” Vaughan told The Telegraph.

“There were loads of times when I wouldn’t go out, because I was embarrassed. Even climbing in and out of a car was awful. I would try to walk over the road to Starbucks, and I’d be hobbling. Somebody would ask if I was OK. ‘Fine,’ I’d reply. ‘Just a dodgy knee.”

‘Do not ever think you can’t get treated’

Vaughan, who last played international cricket back in 2008, said that mental illness isn’t a ‘visible injury’ but can pile up over time, making life tougher for a person. He reckoned that instead of concealing mental health struggles, one should ask for help and consult psychologists and psychiatrists.

“People always talk about mental illness being the hardest to detect because it’s not a visible injury; it is just something that happens inside your mind. It’s similar to this illness. Over time, it just builds up,” Vaughan said.

“In the end, we’re men, aren’t we? If we can do something tomorrow, we’ll do it tomorrow. But I’ve had this warning in my life, where my state got so bad, so quickly, that I had to go and see someone. Don’t ever think you can’t get treated for something or you can’t get through it. And if you do have the signs of some inflammatory disorder, go to your doctor as soon as possible,” Vaughan added.

After retiring from cricket, Vaughan took up commentary as a profession. He also became active on social media platforms, giving his opinions on various topics. Vaughan also engages in friendly banter with former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer.