Home Mental Health This doctor helps Bay Area’s elite athletes cope with mental health challenges

This doctor helps Bay Area’s elite athletes cope with mental health challenges

by Universalwellnesssystems

Mental health was once taboo in the competitive world of macho sports.

But with salaries skyrocketing, social media giving fans a platform to vent, and the global pandemic exacerbating the psychological strain, pressure and scrutiny have increased. So are the number of high-profile athletes who have publicly spoken out about their struggles with anxiety and depression.

To gain insight into how the mental health landscape has evolved in the world of sports, Chronicle reached out to Dr. Francesco Dandeker, Associate Director of Sports Psychiatry and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University. Dandekar is involved in the school’s sports psychology and sports psychiatry programs, evaluating and treating professional, Olympic, and collegiate athletes around the Bay Area.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Q: How has the job of a sports psychologist changed in recent years?

A:
From a psychological point of view, it’s a big stretch. Before, I only thought about things that were limited to performance, like visualization and breathing techniques. Historically, the focus has been on how to use this for performance.Lately, I’ve been feeling happier overall, my sporting self and my
self
Self, I tend to perform better in general. If you want to do something at an elite level in the long run, it has to be sustainable. More and more athletes are realizing that they want to do this long term but aren’t sure if the coping strategies they’ve been using are good enough. ” So there is more integration between people and athletes.

Q: Do you need different tools than before?

A:
Psychiatry is a little different. Best-serving people can do more than the psychology of sports performance. I think we need to do more and better. Some may say, “I want to perform better,” but they may have PTSD from childhood trauma. It should be noted that there is a lot going on. There are still prejudices, but I think it’s amazing that famous athletes are speaking out[about mental health]. In many cultures, athletes and actors can change the conversation.

Q: How much impact has it had? Several NBA players have spoken out about their mental health challenges, including DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Love and John Wall.

The world of sports faces mental health issues. This story is part of a series that examines the challenges facing all levels of competition and how they are addressed.


A:
I think one of the worst pains a human can feel is isolation, especially isolation in suffering. And when there’s someone who’s made it by all external metrics—you’re in the NBA and have this much money—and wait, were you really insecure? Is it because you meet people? did you want to kill yourself The relevance factor is huge when you hear Michael Phelps talking about something. You start thinking, “Maybe I’m not that different.” We all think what we are experiencing is unique. We feel less alone when we hear people we admire say they are suffering from similar things. That in itself can be helpful — it encourages people to embrace it as a separate part of life. Gives. They definitely keep the conversation going.

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