Who would study psychology if they didn't have some kind of problem?

Chapter 291 seems to be the case, but... is it really that simple?

As Li Mingchen spoke, Nan Zhuren smiled at him, offering support and encouragement.

At the same time, his eyes were capturing all of Li Mingchen's facial and body language, not only sensing the other's emotions but also simultaneously judging the veracity of what he was saying.

Li Mingchen continued to recall: "The railings at our school weren't high, only reaching about waist-high. At the time, I was top-heavy and unsteady, and when I leaned against them, I accidentally tumbled over..."

At this point, Li Mingchen paused, swallowing hard, clearly still shaken.

"Luckily, when I was weightless, my hand instinctively grabbed the railing..."

"When the doctor and teachers reviewed the surveillance footage later, they said that it was fortunate I managed to hook my hand and adjust my position so that I fell feet down, otherwise I might have landed headfirst, and I don't even want to think about the consequences if I had landed on the grass..."

As he said this, Li Mingchen rubbed his left hand, which was thickly wrapped in splints and gauze, with his right hand. Clearly, the injury to his left hand came from that "hook".

[Take a short, sharp breath.]

[Shoulders shrug slightly.]

[Press your lips together, and let the corners of your mouth turn up symmetrically.]

[What was said is all true, and this time the feeling is one of relief.]

He was indeed glad that his quick thinking and "hook" had saved his life.

Nan Zhuren pondered in his heart.

To reiterate, he is not providing psychological counseling today, but rather a psychological assessment.

The initial consultation in psychological counseling is crucial for information gathering and analysis.

In addition to "analysis", Nan Zhuren also needs "verification" for psychological evaluation.

In cases like this student falling from a building, experts first need to verify several of the most likely causes, such as depression or school bullying.

If either of these two conclusions is reached, then when it comes to assigning responsibility afterward, the primary responsibility will almost certainly fall on the school.

Li Mingchen's parents had repeatedly asked for a "proof," perhaps trying to steer the situation in that direction.

but.

Nan Zhuren recalled Li Mingchen's performance just now, and the other party's "survival" reaction was genuine.

According to the other party's own account, a strong will to survive emerged when they accidentally fell from the building, allowing them to save themselves.

Then depression is basically impossible.

As for [school bullying].

According to the hospital's diagnosis, Li Mingchen had no other injuries and even brought food for his classmates...

"You said you were bringing lunch to your classmate." Nan Zhuren selectively repeated this, then pressed further, "It seems you usually have a good relationship with your classmates at school?"

Li Mingchen nodded: "I can't say I'm good with everyone... but I have a few brothers I play with regularly, and teammates I train with, and we usually get along pretty well..."

Upon hearing this, Nan Zhuren mentally ruled out both possibilities.

He couldn't help but observe Li Mingchen's skin condition again, as well as the information revealed by his body language that he had observed before covering him with the blanket.

Based on the information revealed, it really does match the diagnosis given by the short man and the tall man earlier—anorexia.

……

In a broad sense, anorexia is primarily characterized by a subjective decrease or loss of appetite, resulting in consuming far less food than the body currently requires. This extreme restriction of eating habits can manifest in various aspects of physical appearance.

Judging from Li Mingchen's appearance, Nan Zhuren could already see physical characteristics such as dry, peeling skin, brittle nails, low body temperature, and a combination of thinness and edema.

Fortunately, Li Mingchen is a high school student. If he were an adult over twenty, he might have experienced obvious dry hair or even hair loss. The most common clinical symptom for women is amenorrhea.

Incidentally, these physical signs can sometimes also appear in people who diet excessively to lose weight.

However, in a broader sense, anorexia is often a complication of other diseases, such as anorexia caused by chemotherapy for cancer.

Li Mingchen, after undergoing a physical examination, has been clearly ruled out as having any organic lesions.

At the same time, his current injuries, which are so severe, are clearly not likely to cause anorexia; rather, they are more likely to cause bulimia.

Nan Zhuren's mind flashed back to the food he had seen at the beginning, the food on Li Mingchen's desk that had only been touched a couple of times.

Therefore, a more plausible explanation is that it is entirely caused by psychological factors—namely, anorexia nervosa.

……

Nan Zhuren organized his thoughts and began to verify his conjecture.

“I just saw your mother take your dinner out, and it looks like you only ate a few bites of each dish.”

Nan Zhuren asked, "Don't you like the food? Or are you not hungry?"

It was very unexpected, but also exactly as expected.

When Nan Zhuren mentioned "food," Li Mingchen swallowed twice quickly.

At the same time, his brows furrowed tightly.

"I...don't want to eat."

Li Mingchen neither answered whether he liked it or not, nor whether he was hungry.

"Why don't you want to eat?" Nan Zhuren asked with a concerned expression. "Given your current physical condition, you should be getting more nutrition, right?"

“I’m too fat,” Li Mingchen replied.

As he spoke, he raised his sharply defined jawline, and his chest, with its prominent collarbones, rose and fell twice with his breath.

“I had a lot of trouble controlling my weight because of training. If I overeat because of illness and gain weight back, it will take a long time to lose weight after I recover. Even if I repeat a year and take the exam again next year, there won’t be enough time for training.”

Li Mingchen spoke with conviction.

Nan Zhuren nodded in agreement. A key diagnostic criterion for anorexia nervosa is body image disorder, which means a distorted perception of one's own body image; the patient's self-image is completely different from how others perceive them.

“You said, ‘It was very difficult to control my weight before because of training.’” Nan Zhuren caught the key words. “It seems you’ve been dieting to lose weight for a while now?”

Li Mingchen smiled, a smile that seemed proud. But combined with his current appearance, it looked inexplicably weak and out of place.

"Pretty much. I actually started losing weight three months ago. But I couldn't control my eating at first."

"Until a month ago, I finally made up my mind. And then I lost over 20, almost 30 pounds in just one month!"

Li Mingchen's mouth was pulled even wider, and his swollen cheeks were bunched up, making his jawline appear even more defined in the contrast.

(End of this chapter)