Harvard Psychiatrist: How Elite Athletes Master Crippling Stress (Exclusive Interview)

There is a crisis facing elite athletes that is hidden in plain sight. The crisis is one of mental health. More recently, high profile athletes like Michael Phelps have been vocal about the depression they have faced during their careers. Many more athletes stay silent, or even worse, ignore their symptoms. I’ve talked at length about the mental health challenges that face high level athletes. While I’m well read about these topics, I’m no expert, and wanted to get a professional perspective. I spoke with Dr. Ryan Davis to learn more details about the mental health landscape facing elite athletes. He is a Harvard-trained, Board-certified psychiatrist in Child, Adolescent, And Adult Psychiatry. As the founder of the Mind Health Institute in Beverly Hills, he leads a multidisciplinary mental health practice focused on providing comprehensive, personalized care. He has expertise in both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. What is special about Dr. Davis is that he also works with elite athletes and business executives as a performance coach. He is the perfect person to talk about mental health in high level athletes because understands them intimately. In this episode, he goes in-depth into the mental health for elite athletes and shares his wealth of knowledge on improving mental resilience, achieving peak performance, and creating more purposeful, balanced lives. Ryan's Links: - https://www.capeperformance.com/ - https://www.mhi-bh.com/ Other Links: - Stolen Focus Book: https://amzn.to/3DTbceo 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:45 Psychiatry vs Psychology 00:08:55 Process for Intake 00:11:38 ADHD in Athletes 00:16:23 ADHD Treatments in Athletes 00:17:55 Feedback Loops 00:19:56 The Pain Cycle 00:22:31 Burnout 00:28:52 Toxic Habits 00:31:43 Signs You Should Seek Help 00:35:25 The Mental Health Stigma 00:37:25 Injuries and Mental Health 00:45:11 Retirement 00:51:54 Icarus 00:53:13 Having a Team 00:56:22 Anxiety in Athletes 01:03:47 Actionable Items 01:06:23 Mindfulness Practice 01:11:09 Yips 01:12:48 Solving problems and getting ahead 01:16:37 Sleep Exponential Athlete Socials Support the Show: https://patreon.com/ExponentialAthlete Twitter: ⁠⁠https://twitter.com/athletexpodcast Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/exponentialathlete/ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-exponential-athlete-podcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4XmCCYsVVOVmRavFYT5b1C Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-exponential-athlete/id1726985417 Website: https://exponentialathlete.co/ Affiliates: Track your health data with Whoop. Get 1 month free - join.whoop.com/exponentialathlete