The German Depression League e.V. wrote in an open letter to Geschke that it was "astonished by this statement, to put it mildly", as it "fuels prejudices that psychiatry is like a prison or even worse". "With your comparison, there is a danger that those affected will feel like second-class citizens if they are admitted to a psychiatric ward. This must not be allowed to happen," it said.
Geschke reacted quickly and apologised. The cyclist had tested positive shortly before the Olympic road race in Japan and is now in quarantine in a hotel in Tokyo for more than a week. In a dpa interview at the weekend, he said: "Absolutely nothing works here. It's half psychiatric ward, half prison. Although psychiatry is more like it."
In response to the criticism of the Depression League, he wrote. "Of course I didn't think this comparison through. I don't see psychiatric wards as bad places and it shouldn't come across that way," tweeted the 35-year-old Berliner. "Athletes aren't always perfect at giving interviews. Thanks for the tip!"
The Depression League, a patient organisation for people suffering from depression, emphasised that psychiatric facilities are "the only and right way" to "get out of a mental illness like depression. The board of the DDL offered Geschke a meeting "to explain to you how things are 'behind the walls' and why it is important to seek professional medical help", the letter continued.
The corona quarantine is not only affecting the professional cyclist mentally, but also physically. "I'm not doing so well now, especially physically, and I don't think it's because of Covid-19. My back hurts from lying in bed so much. I also miss sunlight, I miss exercise, I miss fresh air, we're not even allowed to open the windows here," Geschke told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper in an interview
Unfortunately, the food in the hotel was "a disaster", said Geschke, who says he eats vegan food. "There's no fruit, just a few vegetables, the quality is like on an aeroplane. I've basically been eating rice with soya sauce for four days." After his return home, which is scheduled for Sunday at the earliest, subject to negative corona tests, he is looking forward to a beer, his dog and his girlfriend. "Although the order should rather be: girlfriend, dog, beer. And then I'm going to get a good night's sleep."
© dpa-infocom, dpa:210726-99-541833/5
