Royce White Speaks Out About Anxiety Disorder

Houston Rockets rookie forward Royce White has been absent from team activities due to disagreements over how to handle his anxiety disorder, and the Rockets have announced that they will begin fining him for each day that he misses. The Rockets have made travel accommodations for White, who has a fear of flying, and scheduled appointments for him with Dr. Aaron Fink of the Baylor College of Medicine, according to the Houston Chronicle. But White, who has not been meeting with Fink, believes he is not receiving proper support from the Rockets franchise and refuses to risk his own mental health by playing under circumstances he deems unfit for his mental well-being.

White had been especially candid in interviews leading up to the NBA draft addressing the severity of his anxiety disorder. “Panic attacks, it’s like you have one and you’re susceptible to another one,” White said in a documentary short for Grantland. “Your mind races and your adrenaline starts to pump, and then that adrenaline is so powerful it makes your heart beat fast. So then that sends it back to your mind, and then your mind’s like, ‘Oh man, my heart is beating.’ And then you panic on top of panic on top of panic. It feels like you’re dying.”