Murder/Suicide of Wrestler

The deaths of Chris Benoit, his wife and young son have splashed across the media in the past few days and people are asking one of the obvious questions: Did steroids, specifically anabolic steroids, have anything to do with it? This isn't the first suicide of a well-known young wrestler, but it is the first double homicide-suicide.

Wrestling, as many highly physically demanding sports such as weight lifting and football, is one profession where massive muscles are prized for their power and the sculpting of the wrestler's body. Unfortunately, too many in the profession fail to see the grim downside of taking anabolic steroids. They are, after all, tantamount to taking massive doses of male hormones even though they shrink the testacles.

While many people take steroids for a multiplicity of health problems, these patients know that they must be monitored, but even then there are changes. One of the most prominent I've seen in my career is changes in mood with impulsivity and even mania exhibited by some patients. Taken without medical supervision and not for disease-related reasons they can lead to something that mirrors the psychosis we see in seriously mentally ill people. Anabolic steroids bring on depression, paranoia and highly-charged impulsivity in an incredibly powerful, out-of-control man and it's almost a sure bet. Along with this can come kidney damage and cancer. I've seen young men who took anabolic steroids and they've jumped through the plate glass windows of shops.

Not only do these steroids cause personality and mood changes, they bring on irritability, impatience and aggression. I've heard people in the wrestling profession say that Chris Benoit's actions weren't what is typically called "roid rage" because his actions were deliberate.

These people are wrong because, in my professional opinion, individuals who are psychotic because of anabolic steroids can be deliberate in their actions. The paranoid person doesn't always act impulsively, but can do so and then regret what they've done. It is then, with the realization of the lack of control and what it did, that they seek to remedy the situation. Perhaps that's what happened here.

We're never going to know why Chris Benoit killed his wife, his son and himself, but we do know what anabolic steroids do. The message of their true danger has to be gotten out to everyone, whether they are professional athletes, weekend warriors, marathon runners or high school or grade school students. Steroids kill in the long run.

Remember the case of the football great, Lyle Alzado, who developed cancer from these deadly drugs. He was a shell of a man at the end, but he stood up and tried to get the message out. He died at age 43 in 1992. Another victim of anabolic steroids.



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Shrinking the Shrinks

The saga of The Sopranos is over and the cool Dr. Jennifer Melfi has gone back to the world of the imagination. Who was she, was she actually doing the gangster Tony Soprano any good and what about her unethical behavior in dismissing her patient abruptly after seven years? All of this is the stuff of speculation, but in this there's some reason for concern.

How good is therapy and do all therapies work? Who has put therapists feet to the fire when it comes to actually testing the efficacy of some therapies and where has the damage been done when this checks-and-balances monitoring has been neglected? That's not the stuff of fantasies, but of cool reality and we all need to consider it.

Saying you're a therapist and actually doing something therapeutic is now a point of contention and some research has found rather revealing negative information. Therapy, according to some experts who have researched it, can actually do more harm than good. This appears to be the case with some PTSD patients who suffer more because of therapy with no better outcomes. It's the same with the recovered memories and the search to root out "alters" in dissociative identity disorder.

A recent article in Newsweek points out some of the potential for harm and even indicates that The American Psychological Association has admitted there is "psychoquackery" out there.

The old adage, "Let the buyer beware" (caveat emptor), still applies when it comes to psychotherapy services. Don't be fooled by the certificates on the wall or the polished plate on the door.

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Paris Isn't So Hot Right Now

Yes, I've seen the news, I've read the internet items, I've seen the TV "special reports" and "flashes" about Paris Hilton and her current not-so-hot dilemma and I can't stop myself from responding to all of this.

There will be those of you who feel I shouldn't waste my time on something as inconsequential as this. I just got a call to "come immediately" to a national TV station because they wanted me to appear on camera. I turned them down. I feel bad for Paris and I would have said that on camera, but I'm not going to run to a TV station to kick someone when they're down. And I do believe she's down right now.

Nope, I never watched her TV show, always thought she was leading a life that seemed devoid of purpose, but who am I to say? Should everyone spend their lives devoted to good works? Not a bad idea, but I'm a realist.

Paris was the media's darling and now they've turned on her and the juggernaut has her in its jaws and everyone is urging the mastication on. Pull back a minute, guys, and let's see the other side.

Who made this horrible creature? Did she just pop out like some she-devil just dying to be adored? I don't think so. Neither do I think she's not responsible for her actions. Of course she's responsible.

I don't believe she ever realized how this was going to play out or that both her money and her name were going to work against her. The rich don't get the same treatment as you or I whether they have an anxiety disorder, severe depression or drink too much. If anything, the sages, who yearn to be in the spotlight themselves, will cry for more punishment and justify it as justice for all without regard to means. Sure, I agree with that concept, if all the other egos out there could be taken out of the equation. Who is making money on this woman's current state of mental unhealth? Would you want to be there throwing the first stone?

One thing is for sure and that's that Paris is spoiled, has been insulated from the real "real" life and reality has hit her squarely in the face. The toying with her (go to jail, no, go home, no talk to us on the phone, no, come back to court AND go to jail again) is maniacal. No one has a right to torture someone like this. I put myself in her place (no, I've never been in jail or had any DWIs) and I wonder how I would react to this yo-yoing of my fate. I think I'd question my own mental stability and pray for someone to save me.

Paris is in the center of this mess and I can't help but think that it has shades of Anna Nicole about it.

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When Is Rehab Not Rehab?

Rehabilitation, or rehab as it's more commonly known, can provide a unique opportunity for people with serious problems, usually addictions, to turn their lives around. It's a time for reflection, rebuilding and preparation for what lies ahead in a life without substance abuse. Substance abuse is no joke; it's not funny. It's serious business because it's a misguided attempt to get relief from pain. We know that many substance abusers, whether street drug users or alcoholics, suffer from depression or anxiety or both.

Lately, rehab is being used and abused, to my mind and I don't think I'm alone.

Patti Davis, Ronald Reagan's daughter, and I agree on this and she let her thoughts be known in a recent Newsweek piece she wrote. In the article, entitled "When Celebs Abuse Rehab," Davis took a close look at the actions of Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Isaiah Washington, to name just a few, that came to her mind, and opined that "what we've forgotten is that rehab is supposed to result in rehabilitation." Too true, Patti, and I also agree that it's the rehabilitation that has been lost in all this "rehabbing" we are constantly seeing.

If rehab works, and it does, how come these folks are popping in and out of it so frequently? For Ms. Davis, this means she's good and angry because she sees they're using it merely as "a brief retreat from the paparazzi." The lessons to be learned behind the sheltering walls of these facilities are lessons for a lifetime, if you listen, agree and decide that you do want a life free from substances. If you use it as a stopping off spot much like a trip to a weekend spa, what are you doing? I am tempted to say it's foolish, but that's not strong enough. It's really tantamount to driving drunk in a car and people sitting by the side of the road with bandages and cameras, waiting for the money shot.

It demeans those who use rehab as this tony resort/spa and it makes it seem like some sort of immature game you play. Only in this game, you make the rules and even the professionals can't make you abide by their tried-and-true methods to save your life.

As Robert Frost once wrote, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."

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