Agency :
England Test captain Ben Stokes has revealed he takes anxiety medication every day to help his battle with mental health issues.
Stokes stepped away from cricket last year to focus on his mental health after enduring a series of panic attacks.
The 31-year-old’s father, Ged, died of brain cancer two years ago and Stokes opted out of his sport for six months as he struggled to come to terms with the loss.
“I never thought I would be on medication to help me for that kind of stuff. I am not embarrassed or ashamed to say it because I needed the help at the time,” Stokes said in an Amazon documentary, which will be released on Friday.
“But it’s not done just because I’m back playing. I still speak to the doc, not as regularly, and I’m still taking medication every day. It’s an ongoing process.”
Since being appointed England’s red-ball captain earlier this year, Stokes and new Test coach Brendon McCullum have overseen their team’s impressive revival.
But Stokes still finds it hard to cope with international cricket’s relentless schedule.
In July, the World Cup winner announced he would retire from one-day internationals due to the “unsustainable” demands of playing all three formats.
