Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire opens up about PTSD diagnosis

Daytoday life yeah what's your day-to-day life I mean like what are you dealing with you like to talk about it or not I don't know um as far as day to day since I mean December 22nd 2018 as uh my best friend and I got into into I had a self-defense situation and I would say that's probably where majority of uh you know things stem from but I wouldn't necessarily say um you know everything stem from that I mean I have best friends that you know passed away from Young ages from you know gun violence and just not being in the right places at the right time and just knowing that I have you know people that was you know close to me or around me who's not in the situation or could be in the in the same spots that I am but uh I mean just like when I go back home it's it's I'm visiting you know some of some of my friends who are you know at at grave sites and doing those things so it's different when you feel like your whole life is you know football player or everything is is geared towards this but it's so much more to you know just putting the pads on and I mean like I say it's like you ask day to day it's not just that it's you know school just got married it's so many things that that comes with a person U but I I feel like you know that was that's kind of one of my one of my main things you start like trying to care for yourself mentally after that incident is it you just pushing away for a while um I would say with with those with that happening at such a young age uh my first couple years you just try to block everything out and like oh I'm you know at some point I'm going get over it and it just start to realize that that just doesn't happen um you get older and you realize no matter the age no matter the person no matter the situation everyone needs help at some point um and it's just being able to kind of Step Up and and know no this is the help I need or this is what I need to ask for I mean and talking with my dad talking with my mom she was in the Army my dad has Marine ex ex cop uh so I mean he sent me books we we've communicated back and forth it's not just you know I have my support system here but I also have my support system home um and that's I feel like that's the biggest thing um I'll say now I'm I'm probably the most levelheaded and and clear that I that I probably been within the last five five or six years your tweet that the chief staff help you get through your uh lat Chiefs help struggle is there some sort of treatment or some sort of help that they're giving you that you really want to um to really go step by step man that'll be a Julie frire question uh I know everybody knows that name I she's amazing and and even Rick Rick Brer he's I mean also amazing anything that I need I just kind of communicate to them let them know just kind of how I'm feeling and um I mean it's it's a it's a funnel of of things that they go through initi when they were asking me the questions just trying to see you know my my temperament of certain things not really big on on taking medicine so it's more of just having different mechanisms of of of coping and having people to talk to who actually know or you know could could help me through those situations U and it's not just the medical staff I mean all the way down to you know sh schaer and you know some of the guys who are on our security staff who you know ex cops ex Marines or just those thing I mean I'm I'm a guy who can talk to anybody and I if I can get the help from I mean even if it's one of you guys who I feel experien something or I could talk to or a different coping mechanism that that they feel help them I try my best to get whatever I need for help so I can come out here and perform what would your message be someone going Message to veterans through this um honestly it's it just takes the courage to talk about it and having ptsc and dealing with it um once people kind of bring it up it's it's not something that I always want to talk about cuz I never really know how my body will react or or my mind it's just it's just something that you know I can't really pinpoint or know exactly was going to happen but really just having that that safe space and I feel like right now within those those those past two years and actually being open with my dad um I mean cuzz it was points that he told me things that I feel like he never told anybody I mean even guys that's part of part probably part of his platoon or guys that he was deployed with probably you know haven't he heard the stories or they know exactly what he's going through but they haven't talked about it to kind of let that release go so um I feel like talking is a is a big thing but it's just getting over that hump personally um being able to know that honestly you know just everybody goes through goes through things good bad just being able to cope with and know everybody's human and everybody you know is is some point is a stepping stone I just 25 years old trying to live the rest of my life heal it how much was a b with someone like Helping teammate Isaiah Simmons Isaiah it seems like you guys become really close help with that yeah I mean it's having a guy that you know I'm coming in the locker room he's going to be smiling even so I feel like um a lot of guys kind of tend to me for that for that spark and as guys say I'm goofy I feel like I'm I'm kind of aware of my surroundings uh most of the time but um it's just being able to kind of spread that energy and it's like if I'm that Debbie Downer or or or that guy that's not going to bring the energy like what else are you going to bring so I feel like I kind of rubbed off on Isaiah early on just cuz I mean it was it's it's a learning path learning curve I mean I I've had ups and downs through through my past five years here is just being able to smile and and get through it and that's those things he's dealt with injuries he's dealt with you know those ups and downs and I mean two Super Bowls two years he's he's he's on his high horse and it's just being able to come in on those bad days on those good days and still be able to smile and that's I feel like that's the best Dealing with PTSD part PTSD what are you on on the worst days what are you dealing with what's that like for you um honestly man I I I really it's I have PTSD and cly vomer syndrome so it's something that's kind of neurologically that they just kind of helped me with and walk through it and I mean i' sometimes I'm I'm admitted into the hospital something like can't can't stop throwing up and it's just I can't like no nothing pretty much to stop it and the only person who kind of put me in the right direction was was Julie frire early on um to get me some some of the meds uh at the time when I am probably going through an episode to get me over that hump U but it's it's real real bad dehydration dropping dropping real real fast but it's really just mentally just not being not being there and it's it's one of those things where you know early on like uh guys who kind of pay attention tra uh Cades at times they can even like they know like aead of time like okay Clyde might not he's not laughing he's not giggling he's not himself like we just got to make sure we checking on him as the person not to just be out here the energy Giver the laugh the the guy that kind of keeps the locker room going I feel like you know that's that's a a big part of what I bring and then once my number called you know it's it's go out there and perform and they know there no question with that so I feel like that's that's just what it is other people are with Advice for others PTSD um I would say dealing with PTSD seek help when when possible um but don't make it a burden on a person that's dealing with PTSD uh take Little Steps walking through certain things don't try to be overwhelming uh and then try to not bring up the trauma as much as possible uh even after you know unfortunately after parade I I've either went on Facebook or Twitter uh also and I just kind of wanted to remind everybody in Casey like it's not something that you want to keep bringing up you you never want to bring up past traumas or bad things um because I mean you never really know what funnel that'll bring the next person down or what situation or what spot that they were in during that you know during that time so try to lead in pos positive direction um and I feel like being a football player and kind of being that that standup guy and guys who are looked up to um feel like it was at least my job or some guys to kind of step up and and and talk about the things that some people feel vulnerable enough not to talk about thank you guys