Buchholz To Skip 2012 Season

Photo by: slgckgc (Flickr.com)

According to ESPN New York, Taylor Buchholz plans to skip the 2012 season.

Buchholz, who has been battling anxiety and depression throughout his career, was placed on the disabled list by the Mets on June 2 with shoulder fatigue.

The right-handed relief pitcher kept his anxiety and depression as secret from the media and fans until an interview with the Springfield Patch, a community newspaper out of Pennsylvania, in July.

"You become very good at lying with depression, and the biggest lie is to yourself," Buchholz said. "This has been an ongoing thing for two-and-a-half, three years and I had no idea what was going on. I was totally irritable, but I was able to fake it around people. I would normally be the guy whistling and singing and smiling around the clubhouse. But with total anxiety, I had this tightness all of the time. I was constantly on edge and I’d come home to Ashley, and I hate to say it, I’d take it out on her. She’s my angel; I give her so much credit for putting up with me. Just that it wasn’t me. I shut off people, and I became a hermit. I wouldn’t go out in public."

With this news, I was disappointed to see comments left by many on other sports sites, telling Buchholz to "snap out of it," or "He makes millions of dollars, what does he have to be depressed about?"

First of all, if that is your response to this story, you're ignorant. Second, I'm not a psychologist, but I can tell you that depression and anxiety are not something a person chooses to have.

There is a terrible stigma in our society toward people with mental illness. Just because it is not physical, that does not mean the person does not suffer as much.

I have never suffered from depression or anxiety, so I cannot relate to Buchholz.

If this is what he needs to do to get better, than so be it. I wish him well, and hopefully he can get back in the game some day.