Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Irresponsibility in the Mental Health Field

My mother has been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks and is doing well. She still has pockets, I call them. Moments when she lapses into her delusions. We will take that! It isn't the constant beating of the deat delusional horse we had become accustomed to.

Having said that, I have to comment on Brittney Spears. Usually I rip her apart because it is damn fun. However, in light of recent events, I have to say - leave the poor girl alone. She is clearly suffering from some mental illness. And she is doing it quite publically. It is difficult enough to get someone help who doesn't realize he or she has a problem. Quite another to try to do that in the public eye. I cannot even imagine how difficult that must be.

And Dr. Phil - What are you doing? This poor girl needs help from a professional, not some dude hand picked by Oprah to promote himself in the self-aggrandising way that has become his trademark.

Perhaps I am more sensitive to this than most, but this shouldn't be fodder to improve the ratings for his show. Now, if he was to approach this in a different manner - a manner that would actually promote and help those suffering from mental illnesses, I say, have at it!

But until he can separate help and hope from a ratings booster, he should be stoned.

2 comments:

Michael said...

Dr Phil is sober? Are you sure about this? Naa... you're just kidding us, right? He isn't even a real person. Is he? LOL

Silbs said...

Good for you. When I started practice the majority of hospital beds in the USA were occupied by mentally ill patients. Medication has changed all that. Dr Phil, it seems to me, violated basic confidentiality when he went public after talking to a client/patient. I'm glad Mom is home and wish you all the best.