Clicky

  • Login
  • Register
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
Wednesday, August 21, 2024
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
Submit
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food
No Result
View All Result
World Tribune
No Result
View All Result

Team USA psychologist at Paris Olympics: Well visits beneficial to mental health

July 28, 2024
in Business
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Team USA psychologist at Paris Olympics: Well visits beneficial to mental health
0
SHARES
ShareShareShareShareShare

READ ALSO

We’re Gen Z college dropouts who raised $41.4M for our blockchain startup. Here’s how we did it

MLB legend Derek Jeter’s best business advice

I faltered; usually I’m the one asking questions during an interview. My thoughts drifted back to childhood, to hazy memories of my pediatric dentist. I remembered the aquarium in the waiting room, the wall of manila file folders behind the reception desk, the aroma of bubble gum fluoride thick in the stuffy office air. But, as Kweku Smith, PhD, had surmised, I couldn’t pinpoint my first visit because I’ve been a dental patient for as long as I can remember. Coincidentally, I had an orthodontist appointment the day of my phone interview with Smith, a psychological services provider for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.

Pediatric dentists strive to make visits fun and allay children’s fears, Smith says. More importantly, children learn healthy habits and develop a relationship with their dentist, keeping up with the routine every six months. Absent this experience, going to the dentist as an adult would be terrifying, he says. We’re taught from a young age the importance of dental, medical, and eye care—why not mental health care?

“Most people look at it as an illness, as a diagnosis,” Smith tells Fortune. “But (what) if we did mental wellness treatment?”

I spoke with Smith shortly before he traveled to Paris, where the former Milwaukee Bucks team psychologist is now experiencing his first Olympics and Paralympics as a Team USA mental health care provider. While he and his colleagues are on call 24/7 throughout the Games for crises big and small, Smith encourages his patient athletes to check in for well visits when their mental health is in a good place. He recommends the general public take charge of their mental well-being the same way.

“I tell people, seek out services before you need it. That way, you have a person who can get a baseline on what’s average for you,” Smith says. “If they see things slowly deteriorating, they can pull a mirror to you to say, hey, let’s try these things. Or, unfortunately, if a trauma or tragedy happens, you have a professional as a part of your team who can be there.”

Smith adds, “Look at mental health just as you do your physical health—as we get a yearly physical, as we go to the eye doctor, as we go to the dentist on a regular basis. We don’t go every day. Sometimes you go on an as-needed basis until something happens, and then maybe you do a few more.”

Kweku Smith, PhD, a psychological services provider for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, models the Team USA medical team’s first official <a href="https://fortune.com/company/olympic-steel/" target="_blank">Olympics</a> uniform, designed by Figs, ahead of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Kweku Smith, PhD, a psychological services provider for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, models the Team USA Medical Team’s first official Olympics uniform, designed by Figs, ahead of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.

Courtesy of Figs

Being proactive about your mental health also gives you time to find a health care provider who matches your needs and preferences, Smith says.

“Every psychologist and every therapist is not for every person. So if I don’t find the right person, guess what, I have time to look,” he says. “But if I’m going to you in the midst of a tragedy, if I’m going to you in the midst of some type of trauma, I almost have to bet that the first person I get is going to be helpful.”

When it comes to certain kinds of cancer and other deadly medical conditions, prevention and early detection save lives. Smith approaches mental health care the same way.

“[Don’t] just look at it from the illness standpoint, but look at the mental health umbrella from wellness to illness,” Smith tells Fortune. “The quicker you get in on the wellness spectrum, the more you’re able to deal with the illness or to prevent the illness, or be able to have mediation services before it explodes…If I can find it quickly, there’s a better chance that I can have a greater probability of success.”

Smith’s push for people to nurture their mental well-being on sunnier days is part of his larger goal to destigmatize mental health treatment. You’ve probably never been ashamed to tell someone you had a dentist’s appointment; why should you be embarrassed about mentioning a visit with your therapist?

“Even if you’re great, you can always be better,” Smith says, “and that’s what I think about therapy.”

If you need immediate mental health support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

For more on mental health:

Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up for free today.

Credit: Source link

ShareTweetSendSharePin
Previous Post

Why Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Ray Dalio favor junk food stocks

Next Post

Four futures bets to consider during the two-week hiatus

Related Posts

We’re Gen Z college dropouts who raised .4M for our blockchain startup. Here’s how we did it
Business

We’re Gen Z college dropouts who raised $41.4M for our blockchain startup. Here’s how we did it

August 20, 2024
MLB legend Derek Jeter’s best business advice
Business

MLB legend Derek Jeter’s best business advice

August 20, 2024
Elon Musk’s litigation strategy is about ‘punishing defendants for their speech’
Business

Elon Musk’s litigation strategy is about ‘punishing defendants for their speech’

August 20, 2024
Anthropic accused of seeking to profit from ‘strip-mining the human expression and ingenuity’ behind authors’ work
Business

Anthropic accused of seeking to profit from ‘strip-mining the human expression and ingenuity’ behind authors’ work

August 20, 2024
Inside Bavarian Nordic: The .3 billion Danish vaccine maker with the world’s only cure for mpox
Business

Inside Bavarian Nordic: The $3.3 billion Danish vaccine maker with the world’s only cure for mpox

August 20, 2024
Super-angel billionaire Ron Conway blindsided by crypto allies: report
Business

Super-angel billionaire Ron Conway blindsided by crypto allies: report

August 20, 2024
Next Post
Four futures bets to consider during the two-week hiatus

Four futures bets to consider during the two-week hiatus

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What's New Here!

Supreme Court justice blasts the increase in laws, defends Trump immunity

Supreme Court justice blasts the increase in laws, defends Trump immunity

August 5, 2024
Mets’ lingering walks issue stems from ‘combination of a lot of things’

Mets’ lingering walks issue stems from ‘combination of a lot of things’

August 17, 2024
iRobot’s newest cleaning machine is the first to wash and dry its mopping pad for you

iRobot’s newest cleaning machine is the first to wash and dry its mopping pad for you

July 23, 2024
Elon Musk backs down from  million a month pledge to Trump: ‘I don’t subscribe to cult of personality’

Elon Musk backs down from $45 million a month pledge to Trump: ‘I don’t subscribe to cult of personality’

July 23, 2024
Braves hold players-only meeting amid on-field struggles, injuries

Braves hold players-only meeting amid on-field struggles, injuries

July 23, 2024
Elon Musk says a person with a Neuralink chip could beat a pro gamer in a few years

Elon Musk says a person with a Neuralink chip could beat a pro gamer in a few years

August 4, 2024
Kamala Harris sees surge in big money support after Biden drops out

Kamala Harris sees surge in big money support after Biden drops out

July 22, 2024

About

World Tribune is an online news portal that shares the latest news on world, business, health, tech, sports, and related topics.

Follow us

Recent Posts

  • We’re Gen Z college dropouts who raised $41.4M for our blockchain startup. Here’s how we did it
  • Wukong breaks Steam’s concurrent single-player record within hours of launch
  • Brian Cashman opens up on whether Yankees would demote Anthony Volpe
  • State of digital health investment, part 5: HTC Vive

Newslatter

Loading
  • Submit Your Content
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • DMCA

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Sports
  • Health
  • Food

© 2024 World Tribune - All Rights Reserved!

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In