WHY is there so many skateboarders suffering with depression?

[givecigstosurfgroms]

^thank you

[whorific]

Social media

^^^

[Crack Whore]

Drugs, alcohol, social media, not dunking enough basketballs

basketball balls.....do u even slap brah?

[darwin]

Personally I've noticed skateboarding attracts a lot of people with depression. Goes hand in hand with the whole broken family and getting away from them with skateboarding stereotype, which I can definitely relate to. I've got pretty bad depression and I'm not speaking for everyone but it certainly doesn't help me when I'm having a shitty day/week skating. I've been riding a skateboard for 16+ years and I'm nowhere near as good as any of my friends, some of which have been riding for a quarter of the amount of time as me. There's tricks like the heelflip that I can rarely land, yet I have a very good understanding of foot placement and everything else about the trick from watching so many different people do them. The funny part is that I can switch and nollie heelflip a thousand times before I land a single heelflip. When I was younger I slipped out getting into a feeble on a double bar flat rail and got a concussion, that bail really messed with my balance in general because I was able to do them before that but ever since I haven't been able to get over the mental barrier. But I can crooked grind a flat bar and even pop a nollie out somehow. So you can see why I might be a little more prone to more depression, when the one thing I love more than anything in this world is the one thing I try to do to escape everything else and I'm obviously not having a good time sometimes. Also doesn't help that I'm getting older and my body isn't happy with impact anymore because I never pushed myself past a 6 stair. I bailed on a nollie flip attempt on flat 3 weeks ago and I'm still feeling it because I landed on a bone on the side of my foot with all my weight and stepped on it wrong at work today which ended up making me have to leave early. So I'm losing out on money because I love riding a stupid piece of wood. Dumb bails like that are a normal occurrence for me and so many people as well. I don't know about you but it's pretty depressing knowing you can't go and skate because your foot is in pain because you were skateboarding and landed something a little weird because of probability... Now imagine having to give up another hobby completely, like guitar, because you ate shit and put your dominant hand out to catch yourself instinctively and now your wrist is broken in some weird way that will never fully heal plus always hurts and if you keep skating with one small bail on it, you're more fucked. It's depressing, isn't it? Having to basically give up more than one thing you love. Luckily the last situation hasn't happened to me, but I needed a good example and I know people who have the same reasoning as to why they quit.

There's also the factor of how many people grow up with good groups of friends who skate, but over time those friendships slowly fade away because the group slowly quits until there's the one or two guys left who have opposite schedules and can't find time to skate like they used to. That has definitely happened to a large amount of people I grew up skating with at my local, and another of the many things that doesn't help with my depression either because it was a time before social media started getting really big so I've lost contact with 90% of the people who still do skate occasionally but are only ever at the park when I'm not there so I haven't seen them in 10+ years and don't feel comfortable adding them on Facebook because they might only recognise me in person. Only recently started skating again with the kid who happened to be at the park with me the day I slipped out on my earlier mentioned feeble because he moved away a year after that and only recently moved back. My roommate used to skate with me every day and it's the whole reason we became friends in the first place. Now he's had the same board for 2+ years and can't skate because of he has a labour intensive job that he's afraid of losing if he bails. He's more depressed as well than I've ever seen him lately but if I manage to get him out on his board, the moment he lands a kickflip you can see he wants to skate like he used to so bad but knows he can't because he fucked his wrists one too many times when he was younger. So basically the same situation as my last paragraph's example but with just work holding him back. People piggyback off each other's depression because of situations like that, and it definitely happens between the two of us.

But I still love skateboarding and will be doing it until the day I die, or I literally can't even ride one. That's just my two cents.

tl;dr - tricks hard, bails suck, me old baby with barely any friends left who skate and almost all the ones who do also are depressed. small bails risk losing job and having to give up other hobbies. still love skateboard.

[corto]

My theory is talented skaters are often sensitive people, and sensitive people fall prey to depression.

[hateboard]

skating is hard and unforgiving, the people who are lured to its brutality are generally mentally scarred in some way. Add to that the obsessive repetition and ‘never give up’ attitude doesnt translate too well to partying, drugs etc, skaters go harder than most. Also skating is so time consuming it often leaves no time for a plan-b / education and then when kids get tired of rolling ankles trying to flip an 8 stair to impress thier homies they realise they have no other skills to transition into and are behind the 8 ball in most other aspects of society. All leads to a pretty high chance of depression.

[drunk guy]

It’s 2019 and our generation advocates mental health awareness. People have always been depressed. Obviously social media plays a role but at the end of the day I feel like we as a age group are more concerned with well being then being overly masculine and having a hard exterior.

[SonictheHedgehog]

Why do so many people with depression find relief in skateboarding?

Because it's awesome.

Also, the cliche reasons such as only needing yourself and a board.

[Willie]

I know more people who have died in my skateboard social circles than high school, college, work, etc.

I think skateboarding attracts a lot of people who feel like outsiders, didn't excell in conventional/team sports, where not content to sit and watch TV, had difficult family circumstances, don't care what others think, or other types of assorted baggage.
When people ask why I don't do more to encourage my kids to skate, I figure "let them seek it out when they fail at everything else".


May not be as true in CA where skateboarding is socially acceptable and all the cool kids skate.

[Surf-goth]

not being honest about what's up bc people are afraid of looking lame/weak to friends

Dude straight up. Hell i told my brother about my depression and all he said was " oh wah wah stop being a bitch" so when i get depressed now i just isolate myself and sit in my room.

[element4life]

my guess is a lot of artists and athletes in general struggle with this and skateboarding is kinda the worst of both worlds

[landedprimo]

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not being honest about what's up bc people are afraid of looking lame/weak to friends

[close]

Dude straight up. Hell i told my brother about my depression and all he said was " oh wah wah stop being a bitch" so when i get depressed now i just isolate myself and sit in my room.

These both are very sad statements, because they are all so true to how some people react to depression.

Depression affects an innumerable amount of people. When someone makes fun and says shit like "stop being a bitch" it sounds to me like they don't know how to deal with their own issues.

Depression and suicidal thoughts are real. Don't allow yourself to he afraid to reach out. It doesn't make you a punk, pussy or a bitch. It makes you a human being.

When others won't fight for you, you have to fight for yourself. Know your own self worth. We get this one life and can do with it whatever we want. Just don't allow yourself to go down the path of suicide. I've seen it and it's a waste.

[thebacker]

I think most people are depressed

[Dorje Drolo]

It's not just skaters that are depressed it's a lot of society in general. People aren't fulfilled in this empty consume then self medicate existence. I mean for skaters I think a lot of it definitely relates to the lifestyle. We all grow up trying to go hard on our boards then go even harder off partying. Years of that shit then getting older doesn't lead to a good place. I've lost so many friends and family members to suicide which is heart breaking. A lot of the time its the fun loving life of the party types you just don't see coming. Also with the people I know that committed suicide every single one of them was abusing alcohol or some form of substance when they made that decision you can't come back from. For some it was all the shit they were prescribed to supposedly help them with depression. Skating for me has always been my saving grace but when you're lost in the fog it's easy to lose sight of that but then having something you love like skating can be that lighthouse in the fog helping you find your way back. Ultimately as a society we gotta step back and realize this picture they paint in all aspects of media isn't healthy and they way we are living is so far off from where we should be.

[guest1]

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Social media

[close]

^^^

It’s kind of sad how social media is so ingrained into society now that we can’t really turn around and go back.  I think people get this false perception of what their life “should” be like based on seeing others profiles and gives them these unrealistic standards of what is considered acceptable. Basically seeing life through rose colored glasses.  I think that really spiked a lot of depression over the past decade.

[rusty knees]

cuz none of us are perfect to begin with

[cockfightchamp]

before there was social media i hit a suicidal slump like age 14-17, shits real, mental illness is real, you can alter your brain patterns though, takes years though not months. Just dont suicide if your a functioning human, do anything but, do drugs or whatever you want, it doesnt end after death, the ride never ends.

Peace and positivity will come to you, if only for some moments, enjoy them and seek them

shalom

[Chim Richalds]

before there was social media i hit a suicidal slump like age 14-17, shits real, mental illness is real, you can alter your brain patterns though, takes years though not months. Just dont suicide if your a functioning human, do anything but, do drugs or whatever you want, it doesnt end after death, the ride never ends.

Peace and positivity will come to you, if only for some moments, enjoy them and seek them

shalom

It doesn't end after death, huh? Wow that makes me feel SO much better! Thanks for the inspiring words!

[43]

Skating was an outsider's activity when I started. Punks, metalheads, stoners, and other weirdos meeting in parking lots to railslide and grind red curbs and parking blocks for hours into the night. We'd hit ditches and smoke weed and our families never wondered where we were.

It turns out all of the kids had single-parent households where the parent was working and absent or something like alcohol or drugs cast a shadow over the house.

There were no skateparks at that time and trucks of jocks would pull up and fuck with us. People would yell at us, we'd get harassed in school for our dyed hair and weird clothes.

It was something you could do by yourself that got you out of your head and it was even better when you met up with similar kids. It was its own culture with its own literature, art, and music. You'd watch videos of other fucked-up kids doing the same shit you did but better, which gave you something to aspire to in a world of bullshit.

Things are a little different now, maybe. But skateboarding has always been a draw for angry, lonely, and alienated kids. Some of them are depressed. Some of them have other issues. On the whole, maybe we're a more fucked-up subset of society. Or maybe we're more honest about it.

[Jerrys Kid]

For what it's worth, I would get depressed too if my career required me to constantly stress and be paranoid about amassing a bunch of really difficult tricks for 2-3 years all culminating into a 4 minute video part that will be forgotten a month after release.

Then you realize that skateboarding has no real exit strategy once you turn pro. You repeat the cycle of demos, video parts, signature backpacks until you're in your mid 30s when you kind of milk it until checks stop coming and you have to find a job with no high school diploma and 25 years of experience that doesn't exactly translate to being a welder.

[botefdunn]

  So everyones just goin along with the concept that more skaters get depressed than the average person?  Based on what?

don't want to sound alarmist, but I think there might be an epidemic of some kind at the moment, call it depression, anxiety, I don't know. Time will tell once we can measure it in suicides and prozac prescriptions.

I think it's a generalized thing, but skateboarders might be more at risk. I think it has something to do with heightened alienation due to the subsuming of real lives by digital lives. Maybe the more attached you are to physical activities and means of interaction (like skateboarding), the more likely you are to feel alienated by the digital and feel left behind. Just musing here, but it does feel like something is happening.

[Big Skatefase]

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I think most people are depressed

[close]

[Sarcasm]

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I think most people are depressed

[close]

[close]

It wouldn’t be that bad if people would just keep their mouth shut when they have a hatefully thought. I wouldn’t call it depression, but skateboarding made everything that doesn’t have to do with skating seem real lame.

[Swithflip]

It not happens in Africa.

[L33Tg33k]

I've had major depression and social anxiety disorder for as long as I remember. I 100% was able to stick with skateboarding because it's totally dependent on self. Skateboarding has allowed me to hate myself without involving others for almost two decades. Thanks skateboarding!

[bigmike]

Skateboarding gives you a taste of some of the best parts of the human experience. As we get older, I think we're aware of how different the feelings skateboarding gives are from the way work and obligations make us feel. Working 40+ hours a week, friends getting older/quitting skating, isolated social communities, etc can all leave you bummed out and with less time/energy to skate.

You know your potential to enjoy yourself and feel good but don't have the means to act on it. It stems from work culture. Everyone feels the negative effects. We just have a really strong reference point to compare it to, compared to people who don't have something they're so passionate about. I think mental health issues are generally widespread (and becoming more common as capitalism continues evolving), but there's some validity to the idea that its more potent for skaters.

[TheLurper]

Social media

I've logged into my Instagram and Facebook accounts once or twice in the last few years. I feel when I actually see my friends our interactions are more fulfilling because they can share their lives with me and I can share my life with them, instead of just "liking" one another's updates. I enjoy hearing my friends stories more than I enjoy just liking some stupid picture. However, w/out using these popular social media platforms I certainly feel a little out of the loop.

The increase in depression in society is probably partially due to an increase in diagnosis. People probably know what to look for, and while there still assholes, I think (especially in skateboarding) people are more supportive and open to people getting help. Knowing the symptoms and encouraging people to get help is going to increase the number of people diagnosed even if the number of people w/depression hasn't changed.

Also, we fragmented into (lonely) individuals well before social media. Robert Putnam was writing about the fragmentation and increase in isolation in the 1990s. The number of organizations and number of close friends people report has reduced for decades now. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowling_Alone

I'm not saying social media doesn't have negative impacts on personal well-being, but I think we often overemphasize the negative affects, while ignoring the benefits. SLAP is a form of social media and it helps me feel connected to the scene even though I live 80 miles from the nearest legit skateshop.

https://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/fall-winter-2017/articles/the-rise-of-teen-depression

[Bony cawk]

cold world. No blanket

[Chim Richalds]

Slap isn't helping. I've been told to "focus" my account several times. Seems like this site is full of hypocrisy and double standards.

[Szechuan]

Slap isn't helping. I've been told to "focus" my account several times. Seems like this site is full of hypocrisy and double standards.

As is life my friend. It's what you make of it, the journey not the destination.