Father hopes Thorpe will 'be out the other side'

Ian Thorpe.

Ian Thorpe's father says the Olympic legend is having a tough time battling depression, but he hopes his treatment will soon see him right.

The five-time Olympic gold medallist is in rehab after being found disoriented near his parents' Sydney home in the early hours of Monday, having taken a combination of antidepressants and medication for a shoulder injury.

Thorpe was sent for medical assessment to Bankstown Hospital, which would not release him unless he agreed to enter a rehabilitation programme.

"He is battling with his health issues at the moment and he is having a tough time," Ken Thorpe told News Corp on Monday.

"But, hopefully, in six months' time he will be out the other side."

America's Cup-winning skipper John Bertrand has sympathised, saying he, too, battled depression after retiring.

"He is going through a very, very tough time. He has a very serious illness and we will endeavour to give all the support we can, through his friends, through his peers."

Bertrand said retired athletes often faced difficulty finding a new challenge.

"That is the big challenge for any person coming from the highest of the high: to find a new area of endeavour within their life where they can become passionately involved and loving what they are doing."

- AAP