Robin Lehner

• Lehner was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder during rehabilitation in 2018, several weeks after a panic attack during what became his final game with the Buffalo Sabres. He has also publicly disclosed diagnoses of ADHD and PTSD. [1]
• He revealed the bipolar diagnosis publicly in September 2018 while discussing his mental health, addiction and treatment. [1]

• Lehner has described years of mood instability alongside escalating dependence on alcohol and sleeping pills. Looking back after his diagnosis, he said he could recognize periods when he was hypomanic and functioning well, followed by depressive states in which his performance and wellbeing deteriorated. [4]
• By March 2018, Lehner said he was having suicidal thoughts. During his final game with Buffalo, against the Detroit Red Wings, he experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing and a panic attack that forced him to leave after the second period. He entered rehabilitation shortly afterward. [1][4]

• After his final game with Buffalo in March 2018, Lehner entered the NHL/NHLPA substance-abuse treatment program in Arizona. He has said that the first several weeks were spent detoxing from alcohol and sleeping pills, after which treatment shifted toward his mental health and earlier trauma. Five weeks into treatment, he was diagnosed with bipolar I disorder. [4]

• In 2019, Lehner said he had learned a great deal about how to manage his mental-health difficulties and described them as “incredibly manageable,” while acknowledging that he still had more to learn. [5]

• Lehner has become an outspoken advocate for reducing stigma around mental illness and addiction. After making his experiences public in 2018, he said his goal was to help other people dealing with similar problems and encourage more open discussion of mental health. [5]
• When he accepted the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2019, Lehner used the moment to urge people to seek help and reject the idea that mental illness is a sign of weakness. He has continued to advocate for better mental-health support within professional hockey. [6][5]

“I’m not ashamed to say I’m mentally ill, but that doesn’t mean mentally weak.”

— Robin Lehner [5]