Eagles' Shawn Andrews: 'I've Been Going Through a Very Bad Time With Depression'

I hate the Eagles but it takes a big Man to step up and admit to 'depression. I wish him nothing but the best and hope he works it all out.

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Shawn Andrews, you have my support, get better asap, Eagles Need You. Your Important, everyone on that Eagle Team is Important. God Bless You, and make back to Philadelphia ASAP. Us Eagle Rooters, are with you all the way, and I`m sure Andy Reid, and your player friends are with you. Hang in there Shawn

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You have my support to, Shawn. Depression sucks; maybe some of us are simply a bit more sensitive than others, or we just have a "broken coper". Whatever it is, just hang in there. Your mental health *is* more important. Think long term term, though, baby -- you don't want to be looking back on your career with regrets later.

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I am so proud that a successful athlete has accepted a mental health
issue and shared his challenge.

Shawn, I support you 100% and will keep you in my meditations.
Depression can be a gift, if we understand it is a signal from our
bodies that is telling us to slow down or change an aspect of our
lives.
It is a real issue and anti-depressants, along with cognitive
behavioral therapy and meditation techniques, can greatly help.

I pray that Shawn accepts his depression as a gift, learns more about
himself and achieves peace, while excelling at his position and
powering the Eagles forward. I am a Cowboys fan, but will be rooting
for Shawn Andrews this fall.

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Perhap Jon Rynun will shut his big fat MOUTH NOW.....

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Shawn,

You are very brave. Stay strong and remember, depression is treatable.

You are in my prayers.

Phillis,

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Hey CowboysForLife, why do you hate the Eagles? They aren't responsible for your team not winning a playoff game in 13 years. Shit, they even lost to the stinkin Cardinals in 1998. Blame that scumbag owner of yours, not the Eagles.

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shawn,

been there, done that. i wish you the best treatment available and continued success on the field.

being macho doesn't mean you have to be stupid too. good luck with all things ahead.

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It takes a lot of courage to speak out like he did. Maybe this will help some other people who suffer in silence that are also in places where externally they have money, they have popularity, they have all these things that so many people would like to have, thinking that if they did then they would be happy and never have to feel depressed again. Obviously people who don't have all those things can have a harder time but I think it's more prevelent in every walk of life than most people realize. Psychologists know this, I think ppl would be stunned if they knew how many seemingly succesful people are trying to cope with this, but it's not really common knowledge to many people. People can't just snap out of this kind of thing. The people who criticize someone for having depression and say they should just snap out of it have a total lack of education and are speaking from a place of ignorance.

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Though not an athlete, I had to leave my chosen career of 25 years when a depression hit me. Never in my life would I have thought this could happen to me. Actually, I never thought an illness this overwhelming even existed.

I will be rooting for your return Shawn. You may need to find, or recreate yourself all over again but you are doing the best thing by tackling it head on. Thanks for being brave enough to speak out about your "very bad" depression. If you beat this, go buy yourself a ring and wear it proudly!

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Shawn
May God Bless you in your treatment for this mental illness that effects so many,I have been a soldier for 17 yrs and this has hit me hard as well. Stay strong and I wish you the best. Most of all dont be ashamed.
GO EAGLES

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Good luck to you Shawn. As someone who has had the misfortune of suffering with this disease I know how really hard it is to just do the normal daily things that most people take for granted. I also know that by taking medication in addition to therapy you can overcome this insidious disease. I had the great pleasure of getting your autograph in your rookie year up at Lehigh and you were a very kind and gracious man to stand around after practice and greet the fans. I have watched with great pride your career with the Eagles ever since. I hope that with help you can recover and hopefully play again, but mostly I hope that you recover and once again be that happy wonderful young man that all your fans know you are. Please know that all your fans are pulling for you and that you are in our prayers.

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Shawn you are in all of our prayers! Just keep your chin
up and know you are supported. You have my utmost respect
and I know u will come through this and things will be better than
ever

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Shawn, one day - hopefully one day very soon - you will feel ok again. You are stronger, tougher and more admirable for talking openly about Depression as an illness than any athlete is on any field. They are blessed if they don't have to deal with this sometimes debilitating illness. Yes, alot of people responding have had a family member suffer it or have themselves. But I do use the word "SUFFER" every time I talk about it. The good news is that it is treatable. Just one generation back, not so much. When I was diagnosed nine years ago with cancer, I believe the doctor thought I under-reacted and worried about depressing me by telling me the bad news. But here's the truth: I said, "I truly believe, from my core, that people who suffer from depression are the STRONGEST people in the world." God bless you.. you make me proud and possibly have NO idea the opportunity you have given people to learn. Be well. If you don't know about NAMI or DBSA, and have an opportunity, check out these websites when you are up to it. Educating yourself about this illness is a HUGE part of getting better. YOUR opinions shared with the best doctors, about your treatments, will be the most helpful thing to your getting better.

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