COLLINGWOOD star Dayne Beams says he "is a broken man at the moment" after posting a heartfelt message via Instagram on Wednesday afternoon.

Beams will take indefinite leave from the Magpies to focus on his mental health and "regather" himself.

The Magpies revealed earlier on Wednesday that Beams "intends to return to the game but will not do so until he has dealt with his mental health issues and is confident that he can once again dedicate himself to football".

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Just to follow on from the statement released today from the club . I am a broken man at the moment and this is very very real for myself and the people that I love at the moment . I am not posting this for people to feel sorry for me or to speculate about my life , I am posting this because this is an issue that I will continue to shine a light on because it is real and it can be so so debilitating if it’s not treated so I plead with anyone out there doing it tough just to tell someone because in doing that you are already taking the first steps towards recovery and living a happier and loving life. Think if this were your husband , wife , child , friend experiencing the lows that come with depression ask yourself what would you do for them . Lastly to my family thank you for inspiring me to beat this illness and always having my back . I love you all . Please start having the conversations and helping each other ❤️

A post shared by Dayne Philip Beams (@beama_9) on

The 29-year-old, who has spoken openly about his mental health challenges, was already likely to miss the rest of the season with a hip injury that required surgery.

"I have been on the record in the past about the battles I have fought. Right now, I need to step away and regather myself," Beams said. 

"I hope people will understand that this is something I need to do for myself and, importantly, my family. Our wellbeing is the highest priority."

The development comes after Beams recently spoke about the benefits of ongoing therapy.

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"I've had some extensive therapy over the last five or six months in particular. That's really helped me," he told Melbourne radio station SEN.

"It's given me a better understanding about myself and where I fit in the scheme of things. It's been an eye-opener but it's definitely been worth it."

The champion midfielder's first season back at Collingwood, after four with Brisbane, hasn't gone to plan.

His output was restricted by a hip problem that first flared late last season but was masked by the fact he still managed to play strong football with the Lions.

Beams received a cortisone injection in the pre-season and again in-season to reduce inflammation in the joint, but became increasingly sore during and after games.

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A surgeon told him he'd probably had the issue since he was a teenager because of the shape of his hips, and that he was always destined for surgery at some stage.

After copping a couple of knocks in the round seven win over Port Adelaide, Beams was sidelined for the next game and felt better before it deteriorated again.

He underwent surgery soon after the shock loss to Fremantle at the MCG in round 11, when he had just 14 possessions – his worst return in 12 months, and his equal-worst in a full game since the 2010 Grand Final Replay win over St Kilda – and didn't have a single possession in the last quarter.

Beams had become such a liability that Pies coach Nathan Buckley revealed his place in the team would have been in jeopardy had he continued to play on with the hip problem. 

Collingwood stated that neither the club nor Beams would make any further comment about his mental health leave and hoped the privacy of Beams and his family would be respected.

It's another significant setback for the Pies, who are out of form and still trying to find a way to cope without brilliant youngster Jaidyn Stephenson, who is serving a 10-week betting-related suspension until the end of the minor rounds.

Beams returned to Collingwood during the trade period in October when the Pies landed him in exchange for their first-round picks from last year (pick 21 overall) and this year, and a swap of later picks.

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