Michael Phelps reveals suicide attempt after 2012 retirement
Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympic swimmer, disclosed in an L'Equipe documentary that he fell into a severe depression after his 2012 retirement. He said he no longer wanted to live and had only 30 mg of sleeping pills that night, which he did not ingest. Coach Bob Bowman recognized his crisis, urged him to enter a detox program and seek professional help, which Phelps did. After treatment he returned to competition two years later, winning additional gold medals at the 2016 Rio Games. Phelps continues regular psychological therapy, stating that managing depression and anxiety is an ongoing process.
Entities: Bob Bowman · David Popovici · Dumitru Dragomir · L'Equipe · Michael Phelps · Romania · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 7 SOURCES] He considered suicide, saying “I didn’t want to live”. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Coach Bob Bowman urged Phelps to enter a detox program and seek professional help. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The confession was made in a documentary produced by L'Equipe. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Phelps is the most decorated Olympic swimmer with 28 medals, including 23 gold. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Michael Phelps experienced severe depression after retiring in 2012. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Phelps returned to competition two years later and won gold medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] Phelps continues regular psychological therapy for his depression and anxiety. (multiple articles)
- [● 7 SOURCES] He had only 30 mg of sleeping pills that night and did not take more. (multiple articles)