Olympic medallist Eliza McCartney has spoken of the "type of mental illness" that almost derailed her chances of competing at the Rio Games.
McCartney, 19, said "mental blocks" stopped her from training for the first half of last year, part of her long-term buildup to Brazil.
"It's not so much depression but an athlete's mental block, like a type of mental illness," she said.
"You want to snap out of it but you can't. I didn't know how to at that point, it's much harder than an injury to deal with."
Leading sports psychologist Karen Nimmo said such pressure is common for elite athletes.