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Twisten talks about his mental health issues and gets support from VALORANT community

Team Vitality’s participation in the VCT LOCK/IN 2023 tournament ended on February 25 at the hands of Leviathan. The... Maria | 27. February 2023

Team Vitality’s participation in the VCT LOCK/IN 2023 tournament ended on February 25 at the hands of Leviathan. The 2-0 loss to the Latin American team was painful.

Karel “Twisten” Aenbrener’s late arrival at the press conference after the defeat provoked speculation among VALORANT fans. The Czech player explained his late appearance in a message but avoided talking about it to the media.

Twisten’s challenges

Twisten spoke candidly about some personal challenges he has had, commenting:

“I want to say sorry to the fans and my teammates. I wasn’t there from the beginning of the press conference.”

Twisten commented that he took the defeat very severely and did not want to cry at the press conference, even though it was a normal thing to do.

The 19-year-old said he had suffered from depression for over two years and that the Red Bull Home Ground was the wrong time. Twisten claims that his sadness “spiked” after his teammates went home for Christmas and New Year’s. Twisten self-harmed and said he contemplated “ending it all.”

The Czech player says that once his father intervened, he had a “fresh start” and spent a few days in a mental health hospital.

Twisten expressed his love for his teammates and Team Vitality, who he says was by his side throughout this period, commenting that:

“They were there standing behind me and [supporting] me throughout all the shit I have been through.”

“If I wanted to use all the praise words in the whole English dictionary, it wouldn’t still be enough… They deserve all the love and happiness in the world, and I will be forever thankful for them.”

To conclude his statement, he affirms that he is feeling very well at the moment, despite the defeat. Finally, he thanked the fans for their tremendous support and said he would fight for the team, himself, and the organization.

VALORANT community support

Twisten received an outpouring of support from the VALORANT community after making his announcement. Commentators, players, and fans expressed their appreciation for the Vitality player.

Team owner Fabien “Neo” Devide told Twisten he was a “true warrior” and stressed that the team loved him.

On the other hand, analyst Arten “Ballatw” Esa expressed how proud he was of the 19-year-old for coming clean about how he felt.

The Vitality team released a statement about the situation, expressing their support for Twisten and rejecting any malicious comments against him.

“The club and those around him are working closely together to ensure he is happy, healthy, and supported”

“Mental health is an extremely important topic in the esports industry and we should all stay human and vigilant to best protect our peers.”

Header: Colin Young-Wolff