Published: October 9, 2000
JULIE KRONE
First Female Hall of Fame Jockey and Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Sufferer
Many know Julie Krone as the winningest female thoroughbred jockey in history and, most recently, as the first woman to be inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame. During the 1980s and early '90s, she consistently ranked as one of the top five riders in the country, among both men and women. When she won the Belmont Stakes in 1993, she became the first woman to win a leg of the Triple Crown.
Three months after this race, Krone became even more well known when she experienced a terrifying fall - one of the worst in racing history. Recounted by the media time and again, the fall involved a collision with a competitor, throwing Krone onto the track and in the path of oncoming horses. In a split second, the 4'10," 98-pound jockey was crushed under their hooves, and suffered a shattered ankle, a cardiac contusion and a puncture wound to her elbow. She required two steel plates and 14 screws in her ankle, six months of careful monitoring of her bruised heart, and physical rehabilitation for her ankle and elbow.
While the fall in 1993 was Krone's worst, she had suffered a number of other traumatic injuries over the course of her 19-year professional career. She had broken both of her hands, had fractured her knees, and has scars all over her body from other injuries sustained in these accidents. As a result of her injuries, her confidence had waned and, ultimately, so did her career. By the mid-1990s, Krone found she did not have the focus to race aggressively anymore. She began to feel overwhelmed and had difficulty sleeping through the night, partly due to nightmares about the traumatic fall accompanied by daytime flashbacks.
These symptoms exacerbated the feelings of depression that she had experienced for several years. Krone withdrew from her friends and family, and became noticeably unsociable. She was plagued by feelings of isolation, lost interest in daily activities and began to feel suicidal.
"Completing everyday tasks became impossible due to my symptoms, which were both mental and physical," said Krone. "I experienced extreme highs and lows - one day I would have absolutely no appetite and the next I would be ravenous. Similarly, at times, I was very lethargic, and at other times, I had difficulty sleeping. I pretended to be okay on the outside, but on the inside, I felt hopeless, as well as incredible disorientation and anxiety."
When her symptoms became unbearable, Krone consulted a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Krone is not alone - 48 percent of individuals with PTSD also suffer from depression. To help her manage the conditions, he prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medicine. With a combination of medication and psychotherapy, over time, Julie's symptoms decreased and she regained the confidence to ride again.
With her depression and PTSD under control, Julie returned to her winning ways. In early 1999, during Mardi Gras at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, she surpassed a record 3,500 career wins with a five-win day - an achievement common to only the most elite jockeys. Julie closed out her career in April 1999, winning three races at Lone Star Park near Dallas. Her career $81 million in purses secured her current place as the 16th ranked jockey in all-time earnings. No other woman is ranked anywhere on the list.
Krone recently embarked on a new career as the anchor/host of TV Game Network's racing program, "24 Hours Racing Information." She also is pursuing a psychology degree from New York's Empire State College and has written an autobiography, "Riding for Her Life" -- adding to the 26 other books about her.
Currently, Krone is one of a group of athletes to participate as a spokesperson on behalf of the Pfizer and Women's Sports Foundation Minds in Motion Depression Awareness Campaign, an initiative to raise awareness that depression is a serious medical condition that can be effectively treated with medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of both, and that some individuals can benefit from a comprehensive depression treatment regimen that also includes exercise. , Through her involvement in this program, Krone aims to encourage people who may have depression to seek professional help and obtain appropriate treatment.
"Living with mental illness can be lifelong torture if individuals do not stand up and seek the help they need. It is important for people to realize that depression is not a personal weakness -- it is a medical condition that requires diagnosis and treatment," said Krone.
Printed in USA/October 2000