Major League Baseball star Jarren Duran, in the docuseries “The Clubhouse: A Year With the Red Sox,” bravely revealed that back in 2022, he struggled with depression and attempted to die by suicide. According to espn.com, Jarren Duran said not meeting his own expectations early in his major league career—as well as disappointing others—fueled his mental health struggles.
This takes a lot of courage to share, and Duran, in sharing it, helped to shatter stigma as well as help those who are struggling.
Around a year later, Duran is getting verbally abused by fans who are weaponizing his vulnerability against him, as detailed in this CNN article. Some fans are going as far as to encourage Duran to die by suicide, which is unthinkable, disgusting, and frankly unacceptable.
Please note: This conversation is for educational and awareness purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health care.
The Gap in the Mental Health Conversation
This highlights an important gap in how we talk about mental health. We’re quick to praise the courage it takes to speak up, evidenced by the initial praise Duran got. But we then sometimes treat that moment as the solution, instead of realizing it’s the beginning of a much longer journey.
As I talk about in my social media posts, books, and speeches, mental health is an ongoing journey and it’s something we need to be mindful of on a daily basis. It’s not a one-off thing that we check off the list and then forget about.
While our society is certainly moving forward when it comes to the mental health conversation, we still have a long way to go.
Haters Come With the Territory
“Honestly, it’s my fault for talking about my mental health because I kind of brought in the haters,” the CNN article notes Jarren Duran saying.
Although it has come with some residual backlash, I still believe Duran made the right choice in speaking up about his mental health. I relate to Duran doubting and second-guessing himself, but the truth is he didn’t make a mistake in speaking out.
A lot of people have contacted me to tell them that I prevented them from dying by suicide, after they heard my intense story. I don’t enjoy sharing it, and it’s not easy to share, but it’s literally saving lives.
There’s value in putting your story out there. What I would say to Jarren Duran, if I could talk to him is this: Haters confirm greatness. React professionally on the field to even the worst of the haters, and then when you’re off the field, use it as added motivation to keep talking about mental health.
Apparently Duran flipped off one of the rude hecklers in the stands. I have a lot of empathy for Duran, as I’ve reacted improperly to difficult people many times in my life.
My very blunt opinion? People can suck sometimes, and Duran has a right to flip them off. With that said, if we’re coming from the perspective of professionalism and being a representative of Major League Baseball, then yes, flipping a fan off is not the best choice, even if they’re a complete idiot.
Speaking Up is the First Step
The reason I wrote this blog post is first, to applaud Duran’s courage even in the face of some really nasty people, and two, to convey that speaking up about one’s mental health challenges is a first step, not a final solution.
As a mental health advocate, I can tell you that while speaking up is in some ways liberating, it doesn’t solve a lot of the underlying challenges. Speaking up can lead to additional healing, when one is willing to embrace the long and windy journey, including seeking professional help. With that said, we as a society need to understand that mental health is so much more than just being open about what we’re struggling with—it’s an ongoing challenge and something we have to continually work on optimizing.
This means having empathy for others who have gone through mental health struggles or continue to go through them, even if we don’t understand what they’re dealing with. While Duran’s reaction can certainly be improved (we’re all flawed human beings, including myself), let’s also acknowledge that any fan who is weaponizing a suicide attempt against someone is simply a horrible person.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please call 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, and seek professional help. Jeff Davis is a mental health advocate, professional speaker, and author of four books, including The Courage To Leave: Breaking Free From Toxic Workplaces.
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