The football dressing room is often seen as a place of banter and bravado, where testosterone reigns and the characters run large.

For some it can also be the loneliest place in the world. While dressing rooms play host to in-jokes and initiations as well as tactical oversight it is sometimes the venue of make or break moments such as title challenges and contract renewals.

Both these instances can go either way but many young players do not realise how harsh yet how frequent the prospect of being told you are not good enough comes along in the game.

That's the view of David Cox. At 27, he finds himself in the similar position having been let go from Airdrieonians as they prepare to move from part-time to full-time football.

Having been in the game for more than a decade, it does not come as a surprise.

In an interview with STV News he said: "When I played at Kilmarnock I did well. I was playing in the reserves at 15 and for the next couple of years after that I was encouraged by the first team and told if I kept doing what I was doing then I'd make it.

"I was pretty confident and then I got a year and a half of bad injuries: fractured knee, broken wrist, double hernia operation and was in a car crash.

"So it was quite a lot and that took its toll and after that I was never the same. I could never get a good chance and play because something else always popped up.

"And then you start to doubt if it's going to happen. Having to be told that and walk back into the dressing room of the boys you've played with for years and tell them that it's done is emotional. It hurts.

"It still hurts me now to be quite honest and it's a horrible thing but it always happens in football. I don't think there's enough there to help boys fall back on something - I had nothing."

Even though 'Coxy' remained a player and moved on to other clubs, football became a dark place for the Lanark-born forward.

Despite the setbacks in his career he chose not to speak up about how he was feeling through some "really, really bad times", not even to his close family and friends who he admits took it hard when things took a turn for the worst.

Through past experiences accumulated with turbulent times on and off the park, the forward began to get a bit of a reputation as a hothead, which occasionally cost him his place in football.

Measures like this and an unwillingness to seek help led David to contemplate and even attempt to commit suicide.

David said: "Anybody that knows me through football knows me as the wee angry player on the park. But it's not a case of me going out to be like that, it's just my nature in football and I like to go and get stuck in.

"I think when things go wrong for me it's fight or flight and I feel like I'm defending myself when I act like that.

"And I don't like it but it's the only way I've known how to deal with things. With getting the proper help that I've not had up to this point I'm kind of sorting things just now and hoping it will start to get better for me.

"After speaking to some people about things and recognising what might have caused it and the way I was thinking at the time ... those times were very, very bad for me.

"I speak about them sometimes if I'm down and other times I'm kind of fine. I'd love to do anything to help me because what I went through was the worst experience of my life.

"I started trying to self-harm and take my own life. I've got cuts and scars all over my body that I have to look at every day.

"My wee girl when she was growing up used to ask 'Daddy what's that?' and it absolutely kills you because you need to lie to her and make something up.

"I've stopped doing any of that kind of thing now. I still kind of get a wee bit angry sometimes but that's just how I deal with things.

"All in all from where I was to where I came now and what I'm doing now is night and day. I couldn't go back to that, it's absolutely horrendous."

Part of what brought David back from the brink of his struggles came in the form of Stuart Lovell at PFA Scotland and Peterhead manager Jim McInally, who not only took David up to Balmoor Stadium as a new signing but even into his own home to help sort himself out.

He admitted: "I think if it wasn't for Stuart and Jim I wouldn't be here. I was left without a club and that was the worst point in my life because things weren't going well at home either.

"Jim tried to get me that season and took me up to Peterhead, Stuart was phoning me every other day to make sure things were fine, they put me in touch with people at SAMH and sorted out some counselling.

"Who knows what might have happened if they never stepped up when they did?

"To have nothing there, or feel like there's nothing there, then have two people who don't even know you to just step in and offer you so much was amazing.

"Jim took me into his own home - he's one of the best guys I've ever met in my life. He understood and if he didn't understand he tried to, which is a massive difference.

"The same goes for Stuart and the guys at PFA Scotland, and I know they're trying to tap in and help boys like me or Iain Russell who have played through a hard time.

"Because there are loads of us out there - it's just trying to get them to come forward."

David is now urging more players to come forward regardless of what they are going through.

He said: "I think in the past wee while there's been more people speaking to their clubs and confiding in people about how they're feeling about things whether it's mental illness or gambling or that kind of thing.

"And there's plenty there the PFA are doing to help. But you've still got the ones who suffer in silence."

In his interview for Mental Health Awareness Week, David spoke to STV reporter Chris Harvey about wanting to seek help and wanting to want that in order of building up a network to help him pull through.

The "angry wee player" might still be living up to his name but recently enjoyed success when he was voted as Airdrieonians' player of the season.

Having not been accepted as part of the club's full-time plans he has a positive outlook and some full-time plans of his own when he eventually decides to give up football. Those plans will remain on hold for a while after he agreed a two-year deal with Forfar.

Although he admits it is still a struggle some days, David knows he is in a far better place having sought out the help he knew he needed.

The footballer said: "From where I was maybe two years ago I can never go back to that, I would never wish it upon my worst enemy.

"Now I'm starting to do things I love to do; as well as obviously play my football I'm in the middle of trying to open up my own wee gym and take classes, stuff like that, so that's going well and I'd love to do that full-time.

"I'm getting married next year to the best fiancée and having the kids is just fantastic.

"But I still have my bad days. I still wake up in the morning and sometimes ask myself 'is it better if you weren't here?'.

"T hat will only get better with the help I'm going to receive and if I want do to it. I need to want to change and need to want the help for that to change. Things are looking up for me and I'm glad.

"I'd just urge anybody who ever felt the way I felt or is going through a hard time just to speak to somebody. It's not as bad as you think it might be and most people out there want to help you. You need to step forward; you can't just hide it and let it get to the worst."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in the article, visit the SAMH website below.