the buzz log
Over the course of a glittering athletic career, running back Herschel Walker shattered records, racked up yards, and generally left everyone behind him in the Astroturf. Now, he's broken another kind of precedent. In a new book and in interviews, he's revealed that he suffers from the mental illness dissociative identity disorder or "DID." Since renamed, the disease was once called multiple personality disorder.
Yesterday, on "Good Morning America" and "Nightline," the legendary footballer talked of how he doesn't remember winning the Heisman Trophy in 1982 and when he eventually came to realize that he has at least a dozen alter egos. "Breaking Free," a memoir recounting his struggles with the disease, will publish later this week.
News of the Hall of Famer's condition has swept the Web. Searches for his name logged a massive gain yesterday, registering today as a breakout mover and maintaining a steady grip on the top hourly searches module in Buzz. By the end of the athlete's media tour on Monday, interest in "dissociative identity disorder" and "multiple personality disorder" had more than doubled.
In Buzz, a slew of popular articles have covered Walker's revelations. A Yahoo! Sports story describing his condition has attracted the most votes. A post from PhillyBurbs.com connects Walker's disease to head trauma in football. "A skeptic has to ask," the Philadelphia blogger writes, "How much of this is actually a lifelong disorder or a result of years of football?"
As for the commonly held perception that DID is "bogus," the ex-Cowboy responds: "That's the reason America is beautiful. Everyone's entitled to their opinion." Walker also says that "he hopes to educate the public and break down stereotypes about this disorder." Judging by Buzz, he's well on his way.
Filed under: NFL, Mental Health
the buzz log
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what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.
comments
Posted by cat_fan_ky | Tue, April 15, 2008, 4:05 pm PDT
now that you know he's a human, i hope all will understand that American Football, whether it be at the High School level, College, or Pro, is differant...You rock #34, best wishes, peace and love....
Posted by robert_beverly2001 | Wed, April 16, 2008, 2:48 pm PDT
i hope this great football player has gotten the proper diagnosis from several mental health experts over time.at first blush i admit being skeptical , since as a layperson my 1st thought was Mr. Walker's past head traumas might explain some of his symptoms. what is the cause/causes of DID? is there a dementia component? is it organic/inorganic in how it works? just curious about its reported onset this late in life. just hope this football great is coping and getting professional help with his ordeal. God bless
Posted by kpmax2002 | Thu, June 19, 2008, 2:44 pm PDT
I'm reading his book now-it's wonderful!! If you or someone you know has DID; GET THIS BOOK! He explains things in a way fellas can/should be able to understand. I hope it helps with my family; lady-friends are already accepting and supportative. He answers all your questions in his book. This is very much a real disease that developed to keep us safe during childhood trama. A gift from GOD! Hard to explain & sometimes hard to live with, but very much a LIFESAVER! Thanks for being open-minded and wanting to learn. Visit www.sidran.org for valid info, books tapes etc. This site was given to me by a therapist at a hospital that had a special ward for DID. Take care...
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