Some people have the perception that the kind of people who seek counselling are always those whose life is going very badly. However, it can often be the case that high achievers are among those who struggle the most.
A reason for this is that often such people are put on a pedestal by others and always under pressure to achieve success, which means when this does not happen it can hit them hard, both personally and through the criticism that often follows.
In the cases of some of the highest achievers in life, everything is magnified by them having a big public profile. And few people anywhere in the world have a higher profile than David Beckham.
Although this has been cultivated down the years by ‘brand Beckham’, by 1998 he was already very famous, an established star footballer with Manchester United who married Spice Girl Victoria Adams, nicknamed ‘Posh Spice’.
Yet his world turned grim after he was sent off while playing for England in that year’s World Cup, which led to effigies of him being hung in the street and widespread abuse.
Speaking out in a documentary to be shown on Netflix this month, Victoria Beckham revealed that her husband was left “absolutely broken” by the extreme abuse he was facing, adding: “He was really depressed, absolutely clinically depressed.”
David confirmed this was the case. He remarked: “I don’t think I have ever talked about it, just because I can’t. I find it hard to talk through what I went through because it was so extreme.” He added that he was “a mess” and struggled to eat or sleep.
The very fact that someone who has had such a glittering career can still reflect on such events now, 25 years later, shows just how much impact they had.
Of course, David Beckham managed to become a national treasure in time, becoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2001. His life has been a successful one personally and financially, with a strong marriage and family, despite a later crisis when he faced allegations of an affair while playing in Spain for Real Madrid.
However, the fact that he could go through such a personal crisis shows that nobody should feel stigmatised when they struggle with mental health issues like depression. It really can happen to anyone.
Some might reflect that for someone like a footballer, all that was required was time and a change of fortunes. It was certainly true that Beckham enjoyed a wonderful 1999 as he was a key part of the Manchester United team that won the treble of the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, before his subsequent England exploits made him so popular.
However, that would not have happened had he crumbled in the circumstances of 1998. While the kind of help Mr Beckham got at that time was not detailed, he will have required a lot of support around him.
In the same way, if you are struggling, do not be afraid to seek help for yourself.
