Australia coach hails Fowler's courage after revealing mental health battle

MELBOURNE :Australia coach Joe Montemurro praised Mary Fowler for being open about her mental health challenges after the Matildas forward said she struggled with self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

Fowler wrote in her book "Bloom" that she began having suicidal thoughts after moving to France as a 17-year-old to play for Montpellier while feeling under pressure to perform.

Montemurro said the 22-year-old Manchester City attacker had shown courage by managing her wellbeing issues and telling her story.

"It's a little bit of a sign of the pressures that professional athletes and professional sports people are under these days," he said on Monday.

"The more we talk about it, the more it’s out in the open, the more that we're honest about it I think is amazing."

"This is a perfect example of someone that's been really courageous and been able to come out with her issues, deal with it and know that there are people behind her, backing her and want to do what's best for her."

Fowler, who is currently recovering from a long-term knee injury, wrote that she had come close to ending her life when playing in England at 20.

"In that moment, I didn’t follow through," she wrote.

"But I did sit there for most of the night pleading for anyone up above who would listen to please just take me."

She said she struggled in France - away from the support of her family - and could not speak the language. She said self-harm became a negative coping mechanism.

"The motivation was to divert my emotional pain," wrote Fowler, who made her international debut at the age of 15.

"Looking back on it now, it’s bizarre that I thought physically harming myself would feel better than dealing with my emotions, but I was young and didn’t know how to cope with the