Falcons' Hayden Hurst Talks Mental Health Journey in 'Breaking the Stigma' Video

Atlanta Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst spoke about his history with depression and the misuse of substances on Breaking the Stigma: The Hayden Hurst Story. 

The Falcons released the two-part video Thursday:

Hurst described what it was like living with depression:

"I can't really explain it. It's hard to unless you go through it. The depression...you feel like nobody's there. Despite my family being so close, and they're willing to do whatever, but when you're in that headspace and you're in that dark spot you do, you feel alone. Nobody's there. Nobody cares. So I guess for me, in those years, that's why I turned to drinking and pills and cocaine and anything I could get my hands on to numb that feeling of embarrassment where I wouldn't have to explain myself to my family as to why my life was unraveling."

That cycle of depression eventually led to Hurst attempting to take his own life in January 2016. Hurst spoke to Dan Pompei of The Athletic about his experience after.

"I sat there, looked at the walls, and made a promise to myself. I was going to change my life," Hurst told Pompei. "I wasn't going to keep doing the things I was doing. I knew if I kept doing what I was doing, I was going to end up dead. I didn't want to disappoint my family."

After Thursday's video series released, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love—who has spoken publicly about his own experience with mental illness—praised Hurst for sharing his story:

More and more athletes are entering discussions about mental health. Hurst reached out to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott earlier this season after Prescott spoke about his depression and the suicide of his brother Jace.

"When you are the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and you're scrutinized so much already and you come out and you talk about, 'Hey, I was feeling this way with depression. I suffered loss in my family with suicide.' You don't realize how much courage that takes to come out and talk about that," Hurst said of Prescott.