Ari Kiev
Dr. Ari Kiev was a renowned psychiatrist whose work ranged from the study of unconventional psychiatry practices to helping athletes and Wall Street traders achieve optimal performance. His work on depression and suicide prevention is focused on helping patients become self-reliant, more assertive, and better able to cope. A notable author, his Wall Street experience led him to write over 20 bestselling books on stock trading.
SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY
- A basketball player while at Harvard, Dr. Kiev realized that athletes face many psychological barriers, such as self-doubt and uncertainty.
- He developed techniques athletes could use to manage stress and improve performance.
- His interest in sports psychology led to his being the first psychiatrist appointed to the United States Olympic sports Medicine Committee.
- He helped coach the basketball, bobsled, and other teams to achieve peak performance.
WALL STREET
- His work with athletes caught the attention of Steven Cohen, the founder of the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors.
- Cohen hired him to coach his traders and help them deal with the stress and uncertainties of financial markets.
- He also focused on behavior patterns and subconscious fears that limited or even subverted investment goals.
GENERAL INFO
- Dr. Kiev started the Social Psychiatry Research Institute. The Institute helped develop antidepressant and anti-anxiety drugs.
- He served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force.
- He enjoyed tennis, travel, sailing, and skiing.
- His interest in what he called “transcultural psychiatry” led him to seek out nontraditional practitioners in Africa and Asia, and to explore psychiatry in the Soviet Union.
- After appearing as an expert witness in court cases, he decided to go to law school where he earned a degree from New York law school in 1988.
- Shortly before his death, he was working toward a master’s degree in executive health care at George Washington University.
- The cause of his death was complications of cancer, his son Marshall said.