I paused; I’m normally the one who asks questions in an interview. My mind wandered back to my childhood, to hazy memories of my pediatric dentist. I remembered the aquarium within the waiting room, the wall of manila file folders behind the reception desk, the smell of gum fluoride within the stuffy office air. But when Kweku Smith, PhDI had suspected, I couldn’t name my first visit because I actually have been a dental patient for so long as I can remember. Coincidentally, on the day of my telephone interview with Smith, a provider of psychological services to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
Pediatric dentists strive to make visits fun and ease kid’s fears, Smith says. More importantly, children learn healthy habits and construct a relationship with their dentist by following the six-month routine. Without that have, going to the dentist as an adult could be terrifying, he says. From a young age, we’re taught the importance of dental, medical and eye care – why not mental health care too?
“Most people think of it as a disease, a diagnosis,” says Smith Assets“But what if we had mental Wellness Treatment?”
I spoke with Smith just before he left for Paris, where the previous Milwaukee Bucks team psychologist is now experiencing his first Olympics and Paralympics because the U.S. team’s psychiatrist. While he and his colleagues will probably be available 24/7 throughout the Games for crises big and small, Smith encourages his patient athletes to are available for checkups once they’re feeling well mentally. He recommends that most of the people take responsibility for his or her mental well-being in the identical way.
“I tell people to seek help before they need it. That way, you have someone who has a benchmark for what’s average for you,” Smith says. “If they see things starting to get worse, they can hold up a mirror to you and say, ‘Hey, let’s try these things.’ Or, unfortunately, if a trauma or tragedy happens, you have a professional on your team who can be there.”
Smith adds: “Think of your mental health the same way you think of your physical health – we get annual checkups, we go to the eye doctor, we go to the dentist regularly. We don’t go every day. Sometimes we go as needed until something happens, and then maybe a few more times.”
Courtesy of Figs
Being proactive about your mental health also gives you time to seek out a healthcare provider that meets your needs and preferences, Smith says.
“Not every psychologist and therapist is right for everyone, so if I don’t find the right person, I have time to search for them,” he says. “But if I come to you in the middle of a tragedy, if I come to you in the middle of some kind of trauma, I almost have to bet that the first person I get is going to be helpful.”
For certain cancers and other deadly diseases, prevention and early detection can save lives. Smith takes the identical approach to mental health care.
“[Don’t] Don’t just look at it from the perspective of illness, but look at the mental health space from wellbeing to illness,” says Smith Assets“The sooner you address the wellness spectrum, the higher you may manage or prevent the disease or have the chance to access mediation services before the disease explodes… If I can find it quickly, my possibilities of success are higher.”
Smith’s urging that individuals nurture their mental wellbeing on sunnier days is a component of his larger goal to destigmatize mental illness treatment. You’ve probably never been ashamed to inform someone you had a dentist appointment. Why do you have to be embarrassed to say a visit to your therapist?
“Even if you’re great, you can always get better,” Smith says, “and that’s my take on therapy.”
If you would like immediate psychological support, contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline.
More information on mental health:
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