Monday, August 01, 2005

Can we stand anymore on the Tom Cruise is crazy topic?

I found this today while doing my usual surfing...

Dear Prudie: After hearing Tom Cruise's ignorant and uninformed rant about psychiatry being a "pseudoscience," I had to write. Unfortunately, too many people listen to the opinions of celebrities and take them as gospel. Tom Cruise's irresponsible preaching could harm many people and increase the stigma our society already attaches to those with mental health issues.
I respect your support of the mental health fields, so I hope this message can get to those folks who need help but are afraid to get it because of people like Mr. Cruise, who have easy access to the media.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist currently providing care for our nation's military. I could only stare in disbelief at Mr. Cruise's announcement that psychiatric disorders "can be treated with exercise and vitamins." Part of a soldier's job is to exercise and be healthy, including taking vitamins as appropriate, and let me tell you, those things have never "cured" a psychiatric disorder yet. Tell a soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder that exercise and vitamins will "cure" him, and he'll walk out of your office and continue suffering. Tell a suicidal young mother that exercise and vitamins will "cure" her, and you will leave her feeling just as hopeless as when she walked in.
I don't know what "research" Mr. Cruise is reading that tells him there is no such thing as a chemical imbalance, but I suspect it is more of L. Ron Hubbard's. Talk to any reputable neurologist; it is not Mr. Cruise who can read the results of PET scans or functional magnetic resonance imaging scans (MRIs).
For those of you out there who are suffering from depression, anxiety, PTSD, or any other mental health disorder, please don't listen to the preaching of celebrities who claim to be experts in mental health. Seek help from a licensed mental health provider. Contact your HMO or NAMI (the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), or talk to your family doctor for a referral. There are affordable mental health options in every community. -- M.D., Ph.D.
Dear M.: Prudie seldom runs comment letters like yours, but it seemed worth doing in light of the massive publicity given to this particular actor's pronouncements. We must hope that thoughtful people do not take their medical directives from celebrities who have ties to a religion or a cult, however one wishes to see it. And, of course, Prudie is a lay person, but jumping up and down on a couch -- on television -- did suggest that this young man was, at the very least, manic. -- Prudie, consequentially
*** Dear Prudence is written by Margo Howard, Ann Landers' daughter. All letters must be sent cia e-mail to dearprudence@creators.com. Due to a high volume of e-mail, not all letters will be answered. COPYRIGHT 2005 SLATE.COM DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC. DEAR PRUDENCE 7/29/05

Me again: I bolded the parts of Prudie's answer that I'm totally agreeing with. I know that many have specualted on what caused him to act in such a way, but it sure looked like mania to me.

2 comments:

  1. Have you noticed that we haven't seen much of him lately? I don't know if it's because his movie finally opened and he doesn't need the publicity, or if one of his fellow cult-members finally persuaded him to shut up, but I'm grateful!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Me too! But I saw on the news this evening (I never watch the news, but wanted to get caught up on the plane crash) that Jennifer Aniston says that she & Brad broke up because he was emotionally cheating on her with Anglea.
    Hummm? Sounds like more "actors" don't know how to act like they're in love.

    ReplyDelete