Swimmer Ian Thorpe, the winningest Australian Olympic athlete of all time and a national hero, has battled depression and alcohol abuse during his post-Olympics years. Another Australian swimmer, Scott Miller, a silver medalist in the 1996 Atlanta games, was recently arrested for drug possession. “I’ve failed miserably” since his swimming career ended, he told Australian media. U.S. skier Jeret “Speedy” Peterson, who was wracked by depression and alcohol abuse, won silver during the 2010 Vancouver games, but killed himself the next year…

California sports psychologist Doug Gardner, who runs his own practice called ThinkSport Consulting Services and works with the NFL Players Association, has worked with many athletes in this situation.

“It is extremely daunting,” he said. Even winning athletes grieve over career endings, Gardner said. “What ends up happening is that an athlete’s self-worth, and self-concept is connected to what they do. Take that away and there is a huge void. The task of the athlete is to have a successful transition out of the sport and that’s a difficult process.”