To start I'm sorry to hear that but its a great sign she has overcome it. Someitng like 1 out of 4 women are depressed these days. You asked a football question, that's how I am going to reply,
We are talking NFL football, a physical collision type of sport. Dak plays quarterback and its' a very demanding mental and physical position. He's not sitting in an office.
Have you ever played or coached football? Well I have. Depressed people, even if they are built like Superman aren't very reliable.
Without an analysis on Dak's condition, the number of drugs he's taking, and knowing him I can say how much he is impacted.
I can say the NBA had a player come out with Depression and Anxiety ( Kevin Love ), and he's not quite as good as a player dealing with it. Lots of NFL guys bust because of this problem and are forgotten about because they don't last in the NFL. The Vikings drafted a guy in round one that had to cut years back. Randy Gregory has it, and I thought he great potential. He's out of the NFL now, I think.
Let's use a Steeler example. Terry Bradshaw.
When Bradshaw broke down, his symptoms included weight loss, frequent crying, and sleeplessness. Since he started taking the anti-depressant Paxil, his symptoms have become much more manageable.
Symptoms of Clinical Depression include:
• Persistent sadness and/or anxiety
• Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and helplessness
• Anhedonia—loss of interest or pleasure in enjoyable activities, including sex
• Decreased energy or fatigue
• Concentration and/or memory problems and difficulty making decisions
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Appetite changes, weight loss or weight gain
• Suicidal thoughts; suicide attempts
***Coach's insertion: None of the above will help you playing football, quite the opposite.***
"It's hard for me to put into words the horrific feeling of being depressed," the Hall of Famer has said. "It is the most sickening feeling in the world when you believe you are miserable and you're all alone."
Like many people struggling with depression, before being diagnosed, Bradshaw drank to self-medicate.
"I was drinking a lot, and I didn't like the path I was on," Bradshaw admits. "I was frightened by what might happen. I wasn't sure if I was going to drink myself to death."
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/227445-facing-mental-illness-my-hero-terry-bradshaw
IMO people suffering from anxiety and depression need to relax. Having the media in your face 24x7 and preparing to play a very physical game is something else this a person who has anxiety / depression has to overcome. There is no telling when a break down can happen. The Quarterback is usually the first person to get blamed for a loss.
Anyone who thinks the Cowboys GM or caches are happy about this is out of their mind. I don't if Dallas knew until Dak came out, but if they did, I think its a very plausible reason Dak did not get a long term deal. Maybe the meds can help him, maybe not. We'll see.