Not the article from the front of today's paper - but good enough.
THE psychiatrist treating Andrew Johns last night revealed how the former league star has plummeted into the depths of despair as he battles to bring his bipolar disorder under control.
Professor Gordon Parker confirmed Johns was in "a very bad state'', with friends and family extremely worried about his well-being.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Professor Parker told how Johns had been unable to take his bipolar medication for six days in London after his luggage containing the drugs was lost in transit.
This triggered a manic "high'' episode that resulted in Johns' ill-fated alcohol binge and subsequent arrest for possession of an ecstasy tablet, he said.
"He is in a very bad state now,'' Professor Parker said. "People around him are worried.
"But Andrew has told me today the fact that he has elected to talk about his bipolar disorder with the support of his partner Cathrine (Mahoney) and his manager (John Fordham) is a big relief.''
Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition that causes sufferers to swing from periods of low depression to high manias, when they feel invincible.
During depressions, the suicide risk is high, with as many as 15 per cent of sufferers taking their own lives.
Johns was diagnosed more than three years ago and has been taking a combination of mood stabilisers and tranquillisers.
League officials were informed by letter of his condition and prescription, he said.
Professor Parker, executive director of the world-acclaimed Black Dog Institute, said it was common for bipolar to take drugs and alcohol during "highs''.
"When people with bipolar disorder stop taking their medication, they are much more likely to go through an episode,'' Professor Parker said.
"When Andrew arrived at Heathrow, his luggage was missing and it had his medication in it,'' he said.
"So he went without it for six days, which is like a diabetic going without their medication.''
Alcoholism is between three and six times more common in people with bipolar, as their metabolism changes during high periods, which allows them to consume vast quantities, he said.
Drinking is often used as a crutch to cope with life during depressed periods too, he said.
"This (Johns' drug and alcohol use) is par for the course for people with bipolar,'' Professor Parker said.
"When they have highs, they become more compulsive, more reckless and all sorts of things can happen, including drugs and alcohol.
"They feel invincible and want to do anything to continue that feeling. But the downside is that they have to come down; then they crash and that's when the suicide risk is high.''
Johns will be advised to avoid all alcohol, drugs and stimulant to keep his bipolar disorder under control in the future, he said.
Even coffee and energy drinks have been found to trigger manic periods in some patients.
Ironically, Johns' high or manic periods are likely to have helped his performance on the pitch at times - although this would have been counteracted by poorer playing during low times.
"He (Johns) has described how when he was high, his reflexes were better than usual and he could see gaps in the field that he would not be able to see when he was not high - but I cannot say that explains his (career) brilliance,'' Professor Parker said.
"When he was down, his reflexes were dulled, his concentration was down and he would have been more likely to get hurt.''
Of Johns' prognosis, Professor Parker said: "It's not going to be easy, it's going to be extremely difficult.''
Professor Parker believes bipolar disorder may be more common in rugby league than in the general population, as resilience is common for people with the condition.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22346976-5006010,00.html
