Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 610: Chapter 536: Psychological Issues

Chen Yu realized he knew several Michaels.

Michael Jordan.

Michael Jackson.

And the racing legend, Michael Schumacher.

Oh, and there was Michael Owen the soccer player and Michael Johnson the runner.

But Michael, just like Jack or Tom, was a very common name. At most, it was a coincidence.

And looking at him, Chen Yu once again deeply understood that in the world of sports, especially at the highest level, talent was truly more important than hard work.

’This guy’s talent is blindingly obvious.’

’Those legs... they’re so short!’

An average person’s legs are generally about half their height.

Some gifted individuals, like supermodels, have a higher ratio, even approaching the golden ratio.

But Phelps was at the other extreme.

His legs were probably only about forty percent of his height.

A body like that was practically made for swimming—something you could never achieve no matter how hard you trained.

But the reason he was special was that he was the first person to come to Chen Yu for psychological issues.

Chen Yu began the physical examination.

He had some minor strains on his body, but they were very slight. For any professional athlete, this wasn’t a problem.

But Chen Yu had a feeling he trained very hard.

His sport was swimming, after all.

The probability of a swimmer getting injured is relatively low.

"Under a lot of psychological stress?"

Chen Yu looked toward Phelps’s coach, Bob Bowman, then inserted the floppy disk to view Phelps’s medical records.

"He has ADHD and asthma?"

The medical records showed that since childhood, Phelps, just like Mackie, had suffered from ADHD—attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—as well as severe asthma.

Choosing to swim was likely related to his asthma.

"And the symptoms?" Chen Yu asked in return.

’If you think he has a psychological problem, there must be symptoms.’

Bowman said, "I only started noticing some things in the last few months. For example, he occasionally vomits after a normal training session, which never happened before."

"Also, especially in the past few weeks, his appetite has decreased significantly. He used to consume twelve thousand calories a day, but now it’s maybe only three-quarters of that. It’s very abnormal."

Chen Yu winced internally.

He knew athletes were big eaters, but twelve thousand calories a day was still staggering.

And even reduced to three-quarters, that was still nine thousand calories a day.

Bowman continued, "He’s developed insomnia and has become irritable and restless. Just yesterday, he insisted someone had entered his room and moved his toothbrush, and then he threw a huge tantrum."

"He used to have a pretty good temperament, but I really think his mental state has been very problematic lately."

Chen Yu nodded repeatedly, quite curious as to why Bowman had made such a judgment.

Bowman volunteered the reason himself: turns out, he had graduated from Florida State University with a degree in child psychology.

"Then you should be the expert here."

Chen Yu smiled.

In comparison, he felt like he had just switched fields halfway.

Of course, the system had provided a massive amount of material for Chen Yu to read, and he himself was a diligent learner. So, in terms of sheer knowledge, Chen Yu was no less informed than a professional.

Chen Yu stood up, poured Bowman a cup of coffee, and then notified the assistant physician outside to temporarily suspend consultations, telling those waiting to go have lunch and come back in the afternoon.

A psychological issue could only be handled with a psychological approach.

There was a small, sunny garden outside the consultation room. Chen Yu and Bowman sat down and had a long talk about Phelps’s situation.

Starting from his childhood.

Phelps was born into an ordinary middle-class family. His father was a police officer and his mother was a teacher. He also had two older sisters.

However, his parents divorced when he was seven.

Chen Yu silently made a note of this. Childhood experiences and the absence of a father figure have a huge psychological impact on a child, one that can affect their entire life.

At the age of nine, Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD.

Furthermore, as a child with an unusual physique, a stutter, and large, protruding ears, Phelps was often ridiculed and ostracized by his peers.

But in Bowman’s words, Phelps had a good mother, and her proper guidance was crucial during his formative years.

At the same time, he had two older sisters who doted on him. They were both swimmers and served as good role models for Phelps.

So, looking at his childhood, although he grew up in a single-parent home, his upbringing was still quite good.

Compared to many of the troubled youths in the NBA, his situation was considered pretty good.

"Could the symptoms he’s showing now be related to the medication he’s taking?" Chen Yu asked tentatively.

ADHD requires long-term medication.

The common treatments are psychotropic drugs containing stimulants, which help improve focus.

Not to mention he also had asthma, which also required medication.

Finally, as a professional athlete, taking some form of medication was inevitable.

Of course, Chen Yu wasn’t baselessly speculating that Phelps was using banned substances, but he was well aware that in the sports world, drugs were almost unavoidable.

Especially with drugs constantly being updated to evade drug tests.

This rate of innovation far outpaced the clinical trial period for conventional drugs, leading to many completely unpredictable side effects.

Therefore, long-term medication could potentially lead to insomnia, vomiting, loss of appetite, and mood swings.

Bowman instantly became wary.

If he remembered correctly, Chen Yu was still an honorary consultant for the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Montgomery’s career ending in disgrace was rumored to be related to Chen Yu.

"No, he hasn’t taken any banned substances," Bowman denied without hesitation, then explained, "Chen, all of his current achievements are inseparable from his own hard work. You have no idea how grueling his training is."

"He started training with me at age eleven, swimming at least five hours a day without a break. He’d swim over eighty kilometers a week. As he got older, his training volume only increased. You could say he lives in the swimming pool."

"His talent is extraordinary. He has incredible lung capacity, and his body accumulates lactic acid at only half the rate of others. He doesn’t need drugs to become a top-tier swimmer."

Bowman argued his case, getting a little worked up.

But as he finished, meeting Chen Yu’s calm gaze, Bowman’s expression became unnatural, and he lowered his voice. "Of course, he takes some supplements, but you should know that’s normal. And I can swear, they are all standard supplements."

His phone rang.

Chen Yu glanced at the screen. It was Ernest calling.

Chen Yu declined the call and set his phone aside.

Chen Yu now had a basic understanding of Phelps’s situation.

Whether it was caused by medication or, as Bowman suggested, a genuine psychological issue, Chen Yu couldn’t be sure yet.

But since there were symptoms, there was definitely a problem.

After a moment of thought, Chen Yu said, "How about this: have him come see me again tonight at seven. I’ll have a formal chat with him and see if we can find the cause."

Bowman quickly stood up to thank him.

Although he had studied psychology, he was Phelps’s coach, which made him unsuitable to be Phelps’s therapist.

And without a diagnosis, it wasn’t appropriate to rush to a psychologist either.

A doctor like Chen Yu, with a background in orthopedics who also understood psychology, was the most suitable person for Phelps’s current situation.

After seeing Bowman and Phelps off, Chen Yu’s assistant brought him his lunch.

While eating, Chen Yu called Ernest back to ask why he had called.

"If what you said is true, then Kevin really does have a problem."

Ernest was calling about Durant. He described Durant’s recent behavior.

He wasn’t shooting, only passing.

In the words of the on-site camera crew, Durant was so deferential in front of Little Jordan that he was pitiful to watch.

"Chen, is what we’re doing going to be a problem?" Ernest asked, a little guilt-ridden.

He’s a good kid. Because of Chen Yu, he made a wrong choice; I hope it doesn’t end up causing psychological problems for him.

This was a TV show, after all. Ernest didn’t want the kids to have physical problems, nor did he want them to have psychological ones.

"It’s fine, Steven. Kevin made a mistake, and he’s being controlled by negative emotions right now. But eventually, his guilt will fade. You have to understand, people always find a way to reconcile with themselves. So, intervening now isn’t a good idea."

"How about this: send me the raw footage of him every day. I’ll keep an eye on his condition."

A large amount of footage was shot every day, covering all sorts of aspects. Through these video materials, one could easily observe the changes in Durant’s mood.

After hanging up, Chen Yu gave Durant’s situation some serious thought.

’He thinks he made a mistake, and he’s trying hard to make up for it.’

’But under the sway of his emotions, he chose the wrong way to do it.’

’He shouldn’t be groveling to appease Little Jordan. He’ll soon find out that this approach will only make Little Jordan resent him more.’

’He should take responsibility, offer a sincere apology to earn Little Jordan’s forgiveness, and then work hard with his teammates to keep winning games, to achieve victory, and to own up to his responsibilities.’

’Everyone makes mistakes, and no one teaches you what to do after you’ve made one. So if Durant can learn this lesson, it will be a crucial step in his growth.’

「At seven that evening.」

In a chat room Chen Yu had temporarily set up, he and Phelps had their first conversation.

With the boost from his communication skills and the system’s effects, Chen Yu easily earned Phelps’s trust, allowing him to open up and reveal more about his situation.

Chen Yu noted three things.

First, his childhood wasn’t as idyllic as Chen Yu had imagined.

His parents’ relationship had begun to break down early on, right around the time he was born. After that, they argued constantly until the divorce.

This long-term, oppressive family environment had likely left deep psychological scars on him as a young boy.

Another point: after being diagnosed with ADHD, he took medication for two years, but eventually, he grew to hate it and decided to control his ADHD through willpower alone.

He succeeded.

But Chen Yu felt that this almost perverse level of self-control had also kept his mind in a constant state of tension.

He was like a tightly drawn bowstring, training madly, never allowing himself to relax.

Finally, he also described how when he was submerged underwater, the feeling of solitude, devoid of all sound, was extremely uncomfortable for him, as if he were cut off from the entire world.

The pressure this nineteen-year-old was under was far greater than Chen Yu had imagined.

When the conversation ended and Phelps looked at him anxiously and warily, Chen Yu thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Michael, we still have some time. How about this: lie down, and I’ll help you relax your body."

Phelps didn’t understand why, but he obediently followed Chen Yu to the next room and lay down.

"Relax."

Chen Yu’s voice was gentle, and his hands were even gentler. Bolstered by the system’s effect, Phelps soon felt a sense of ease he had never experienced before.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Chen Yu didn’t wake him. He found the doctor on duty, instructed them not to wake Phelps, and left the medical center.

’Immense psychological pressure led to his insomnia. A chance to completely relax and get some good sleep is actually a great start.’

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