Francesco Dandekar

I talked with Francesco Dandekar, an Associate Director of Sports Psychiatry and a Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University. At Stanford, he has worked with elite athletes and aided their mental health, especially with his work in the Stanford Sports Psychiatry Program. I first learned of his work when listening to a podcast Professor Dandekar conducted with another Stanford Professor Douglas Noordsy. They talked about why mental health problems are so prevalent among athletes, and what ways we can help prevent these issues in the future. As someone who is also deeply committed to unraveling this problem, I wanted to talk to Professor Dandekar face-to-face, which led me to conduct this interview.

Unfortunately, the video could not be recorded properly, but I have included the answers to my questions below.

Answers to Questions

– Can you let us know who you are, and what is your position at Stanford University? More specifically, what work do you typically do for your job?

I’m a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and the Associate Director of Sports Psychiatry. My work consists of clinical care (seeing patients), supervising our Student Mental Health Fellow (a medical trainee) as he provides medical care, and helping with the administration/organization side of our clinic

– What was your experience as an athlete, and with that, did you deal with mental health struggles during your athletic career?

I played lots of sports growing up, and pursued tennis as my main sport. I played club tennis in college and in medical school, and continue to train and play regularly. I struggled with many injuries growing up, which made it harder to train consistently. I also put lots of pressure on myself to perform up to my expectations, which added a lot of stress and took away from the fun of playing.

– Since you work with athletes dealing with mental health struggles, what advice would you give to an athlete currently dealing with mental health issues? For example, what should they start adopting in their daily life, and who should they seek for support?

The approach is similar for athletes and non-athletes: reach out for help and support. Whether that’s friends, parents, coaches, teammates, or a mental health professional, it’s important to have other people know what’s going on and be able to help. Hard to say what anyone “should” do on a daily basis, but getting enough sleep, eating well, making time for social activities, and staying off social media are generally helpful.

– Why do you think injuries have such a negative effect on an athlete’s mental health?

It varies from athlete to athlete. Intense exercise can be a way athlete’s manage symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc; taking that away can lead to feeling more of those symptoms. Performing as an athlete can be a main source of identity and purpose, and an injury can lead to uncertainty/confusion around those foundational parts of ourselves. Also, it can be frustrating to have a hard time doing daily tasks we often take for granted (e.g. taking a shower with a cast on, going down stairs with crutches)

Of note, some athletes will actually feel relieved when they get an injury, as it lets them take time off their sport without feeling like they’re actively choosing to take a break; some athletes enjoy the time to pursue other interests or even just take a break from training really hard.

– How should an athlete approach recovering from an injury to ensure their mental well-being?

It of course depends on the injury and the athlete. To reiterate from an earlier answer, getting enough sleep, eating well, making time for social activities, and staying off social media are generally helpful. Journaling and/or seeing a therapist can be useful outlets to process thoughts/feelings.

– Finally, what actions do you think we should take in the future to limit the amount of mental health struggles among youth athletes? Do we need to spread awareness, change the environment of youth competitive sports, etc.?

This is a great question! I’m not sure I have a comprehensive answer, since there are so many factors at play. Raising awareness and access to mental health services would be really useful, as well as decreasing the stigma around seeking mental health treatment.

Francesco Dandekar

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