Elite athletes who suffer from depression frequently have an "unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship with sport", new research has claimed.

Dr Steve Doherty at Trinity College Dublin carried out extensive interviews with eight elite athletes, five of whom had represented their countries at international level or had competed in the Olympics. Six had been professional athletes and all have gone public with their depression.

The athletes found their identity wrapped up in their sporting personality to the deteriment of their mental health.

One told the researchers: “Week to week, my worth was on the line playing sport. If I was failing in sport, I didn’t feel I had anything to offer as a person.”

Others felt that they could only make people like them if they won. “People like winners. I wanted people to like me,” another said.

The research was carried out by Dr Steve Doherty under the supervision of Prof Barbara Hannigan as part of the author’s doctoral degree in counselling psychology at Trinity College Dublin.

Even success does not necessarily bring happiness with some of the athletes saying there were unable to cope after achieving a goal to which they had been focused 100 per cent.