Herschel Walker was once known for winning a Heisman at the University of Georgia, and for a 12-year career in the NFL. Today, he makes headlines for reasons unrelated to his life as a football player.
Walker appeared on ABC’s Nightline on Monday to discuss his struggle with Dissociate Identity Disorder (DID). Walker told ABC that he has been in treatment for this disorder, formerly called Multiple Personality Disorder, for eight years.
He has recently written a book entitled “Breaking Free,” about how this disorder has changed his life.
The coverage of this story on ABCnews.com appropriately addressed the controversy of this disease within the mental health community.
Not surprisingly, the coverage on ESPN.com did not.
I commend ABC for speaking with several mental health experts, although they only quoted psychiatrists and medical doctors in their online article.
There is often a difference of opinion in the mental health field between psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists when it comes to diagnoses.
There are experts who question Walker’s diagnosis, claiming that this very rare condition is often misdiagnosed.
Others claim to have treated the disease many times, and believe that Walker’s symptoms are a perfect fit.
The variance of opinion on this case does not end there. Some psychiatrists are afraid that the media mistreatment of DID and other personality disorders is so flagrant that the public understanding of such issues have no basis on reality. I am inclined to agree.
Some doctors are excited, and hope that Walker’s story will inspire others to speak up.
It may be true that Walker is bringing awareness to this issue, and that is a positive thing.
The regrettable reality is that America is interested in this because Walker is a public figure, and this is a disorder that causes some bizarre behavior.
I don’t doubt that Walker has experienced tremendous pain, or that his story is worth telling.
It really may be a victory for him to be able to speak publicly on this issue. Misdiagnosed or not, he absolutely deserves fair and ethical treatment for this problem.
There are millions of families in America, though, facing issues around mental health who do not have the luxury of an NFL player’s salary.
These families are dealing with a range of issues from everyday anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and more debilitating disorders.
Unfortunately, Nightline will not be doing a story on these people or this problem in general.
Even though there are currently bills in the House and the Senate attempting to address mental health insurance coverage problems, we focus on an ex-football player with a rare disorder.
I encourage the public to read about Walker’s experience.
I am happy to see psychiatrists who are publicly showing their concern for Walker’s case, and the way it has been handled.
I just think America would benefit from hearing the other stories that are passed around in our mental health agencies.
We should hear from the other families whose loved ones were once in treatment for a mental disorder, and are now homeless, jobless, voiceless.

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