Tyrese Haliburton’s moment of reflection sheds light on stars’ secret struggles | Sean Ingle

You see it all the time these days. Players with their hands over their mouths at the end of matches, masking even the most banal of pleasantries from prying eyes. Not wanting to say anything that could be reported. Not wanting to let anyone in.

A generation or two ago, writers such as Gay Talese would hang out with global stars such as Floyd Patterson and hear the former heavyweight champion call himself a coward, describe how it felt to be knocked out, and even accompany him to his daughter’s school to see him confront the bullies who kept lifting up her skirt. And that all happened on the same day.

Another interesting finding? Female players reported higher depression scores than male participants. Part of that might be because female football in Germany generally has lower levels of professionalism, with many players also having to work during the week to make ends meet while getting less psychological support.

However, the researchers also note other studies have found that women in elite sport do suffer more from depression and anxiety. One large study among high-level French athletes in 2011, for instance, found 20.2% of women had at least one psychopathology, against 15.1% in men.

Ultimately, the study found that footballers experience mental health disorders at rates comparable with the rest of the population. However, the researchers also note: “The common external observation that they appear ‘mentally strong’, for example, when calmly scoring a penalty-kick goal, should not be equated with psychological health.”

The researchers noted, too, that playing in team sports seems to have a preventive effect. Intriguingly, professional athletes in team ball sports have a significantly lower prevalence (8.1%) of depressive disorders compared with those in aesthetic and target sports (16% of athletes). Yet the lowest levels, intriguingly, are among athletes doing high-risk sports (about 3%).

As for Haliburton? Well since struggling earlier in the season, he has turned things around. And on Thursday his Indiana Pacers team open their Eastern Conference final against the New York Knicks with a legitimate shot of making the NBA finals. Perhaps there is a message in there somewhere. Opening up is not necessarily a bad thing.