Britney, Privacy and Dr. Phil
The deed has been done and there's the devil to be paid, if I were to paraphrase one of those old adages. In this case, Britney Spears' privacy and her sense of being able to make decisions on her own, have both been violated by Phil McGraw, Ph.D., an unlicensed psychologist and well-known TV personality. McGraw, from the reports of family representatives, was asked to help in assisting the family in getting help for Britney, then a patient in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California.
What are the many problems here? For one thing, according to the law, Britney is in charge of her life, not her parents and they cannot make decisions about who may visit her in any facility she may be at any time. Even teens have this right, so McGraw was clearly in violation of Britney's rights and he further compounded the problem when he made a display of his wish to speak out about the situation. And this would do what, Phil? Make her even more determined to run and suspect just about everyone around her? When did McGraw become such an advocate for Britney or anyone else? He runs a TV show, not a clinic, private practice or rehab facility. While he was licensed in Texas for 20 years, he's no longer licensed in any state in the United States, so calling him 'doctor' is leaving people with the wrong impression.
The spin on this story compounded the problem further. One source said she walked out of her room when he came in because she didn't invite him in the first place. He didn't stay for the hour he contends, but 15 minutes according to some sources . Maybe her Southern sense of etiquette did her in here because she did return after walking out.
Then McGraw said he planned a TV show on her plight. Duh, who couldn't have seen that one coming down the freeway? Now he's all miffed that he was some sort of champion and they're trying to muzzle him and put it in a self-serving light. Phil, wake up and smell the roses, yourself. You did a bad, bad thing and it has earned you no kudos. And you're painting yourself as the victim here? As you'd say on your show, what were you thinking?
Treatment for any psychiatric disorder is a delicate, highly personal matter and it has to remain so. It reminds me of the Frances Farmer case where they found the highly acclaimed actress too much to handle, so they had her committed to a psychiatric hospital where she was sexually abused for years. I'm sure those visions, even though she probably never heard of Farmer, are in Britney's head at this very minute. How is she going to manage to come back from this and take over her own life again?
She's already fled, via private jet, to the East Coast and I suspect she's going to become even more suspicious about everyone around her. Instead of the help she needs, McGraw has pushed her further from it by his antics.
Shame on you, Phil McGraw.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: Britney Spears, Dr. Phil, health, wellness, privacy, HIPAA, privacy rights, celebrity, psychiatry
What are the many problems here? For one thing, according to the law, Britney is in charge of her life, not her parents and they cannot make decisions about who may visit her in any facility she may be at any time. Even teens have this right, so McGraw was clearly in violation of Britney's rights and he further compounded the problem when he made a display of his wish to speak out about the situation. And this would do what, Phil? Make her even more determined to run and suspect just about everyone around her? When did McGraw become such an advocate for Britney or anyone else? He runs a TV show, not a clinic, private practice or rehab facility. While he was licensed in Texas for 20 years, he's no longer licensed in any state in the United States, so calling him 'doctor' is leaving people with the wrong impression.
The spin on this story compounded the problem further. One source said she walked out of her room when he came in because she didn't invite him in the first place. He didn't stay for the hour he contends, but 15 minutes according to some sources . Maybe her Southern sense of etiquette did her in here because she did return after walking out.
Then McGraw said he planned a TV show on her plight. Duh, who couldn't have seen that one coming down the freeway? Now he's all miffed that he was some sort of champion and they're trying to muzzle him and put it in a self-serving light. Phil, wake up and smell the roses, yourself. You did a bad, bad thing and it has earned you no kudos. And you're painting yourself as the victim here? As you'd say on your show, what were you thinking?
Treatment for any psychiatric disorder is a delicate, highly personal matter and it has to remain so. It reminds me of the Frances Farmer case where they found the highly acclaimed actress too much to handle, so they had her committed to a psychiatric hospital where she was sexually abused for years. I'm sure those visions, even though she probably never heard of Farmer, are in Britney's head at this very minute. How is she going to manage to come back from this and take over her own life again?
She's already fled, via private jet, to the East Coast and I suspect she's going to become even more suspicious about everyone around her. Instead of the help she needs, McGraw has pushed her further from it by his antics.
Shame on you, Phil McGraw.
Related Topics:
Technorati Tags: Britney Spears, Dr. Phil, health, wellness, privacy, HIPAA, privacy rights, celebrity, psychiatry
30 Comments:
I'm not a Britney fan, but shame on Dr. Phil! How could he reasonably expect to be seen as anything but a publicity-seeking, bloodsucking leech? He reminds me of "Dr." Lara, another publicity-seeking, self-annointed "doctor." Phil McGraw may have a PhD, but a real doctor would have known better than to violate this young woman's privacy.
Actually, it doesn't take a medical degree; any decent human being would know enough to keep his mouth shut and let her alone.
Britney is going through something a lot of people don't understand. she was in love with this man that played her. She is in shock. She got in this relationship and kevin f. sweep her off her feet and she wanted to be loved and just be happy in love.
Dr. Phil has never been an example of anyone who could honestly help people. One wonders how Oprah could make him famous in the first place. He is not emotionally healthy and he does not offer advice which empowers people or helps them believe in themselves.
I wonder how people could be so fooled by him for so long! Including Oprah, her judgment with men is questionable.
The people who have embraced such unhealthy advice from him all these years are looking for something besides emotional health, mental health and empowerment!
He himself is not an example of what I want to see more of in this crazy world. My heart goes out to a young woman acting out her pain in the limelight for all of us to see. Perhaps this will help people become more aware of reality. Look and see what is in front of you. Look and see through such unhealthy people as Dr. Phil.
Whoever initiated this story is sorely lacking in the composing department ... and for your opinions to be so slanderously reported and reflected on a WebMD site is very questionable. This kind of reporting is irresponsible without knowing all of the facts. It clearly represents your personal feelings about Dr. Phil and nothing else! Shame on you!
Of course this blog is an opinion. Having said that, I ask you to show me what is slanderous about it. Where are the lies? There aren't any. Phil McGraw was asked to visit a young woman in crisis because her mother and his wife are friends. No one is disputing that. That he talked to the media about her is also undisputed. That he should have kept his mouth shut is also undisputed. That is the isue. Dr. Farrell is correct to defend a patient's right to privacy. No doctor should talk publicly about a patient without the patient's express consent. Can he show a document signed by Britney Spears saying he has her permission to discuss her health status, mental and/or physical, publicly? I doubt it. When you have that to show the world, then you can slam Dr. Farrell. Until then, I think you owe her an apology for your spurious remarks.
In addition, Dr. Farrell is also correct to point out that Phil McGraw is not licensed to practice as a psychologist in California. Being on TV doesn't make someone wise; it just means he has a TV show. Doing a show and being a therapist do not necessarily require the same skill set. Perhaps when we stop affording celebrities such homage, people will seek real help from real clinicians and the media insanity that surrounds people like Briteney Spears will calm down. You have to wonder how much the 24/7 intense media scrutiny has contributed to the problems surrounding this young woman...
I'm at a loss to see what Dr. Farrell should be ashamed of, frankly. She is entitled to have an opinion and express it, just as we are. And there's nothing factually incorrect in what she's saying either.
I was appalled when I heard that he was planning a show around the Britney visit. Frankly, it felt like he was using her to bolster his ratings, despite the crisis she's obviously in.
The fact that he withdrew plans for the show speaks volumes to me.
What really makes me sad about all of this is that it's likely that Britney Spears will not get the help she obviously needs, and will probably lose her kids in front of God and everyone since the tabloids won't leave her alone. So if any shame is to be handed out, I'll vote for the shameless exploitation of her issues by her family and Phil McGraw.
If she really didn't want to have the publicity, dont you think her family should have called a DR. that isn't on TV. It was all planned just the way it happened.
What makes you think she talked to her family before they called the good Dr. Phil? Smelled like an ambush to me. Call Mommy a publicity hound, but don't put it on her.
The more I see, the more concerned I get for her.
Ambush! He is a TV DR....They wanted a show and thought that if he saw her it would make a better show. Yes she is having problems but she is just like the rest of the world. She is human and they thought that is the DR went to see her, then he would say sonething nice and be a friend but then there little plan back fired. Instead of getting poor Brit they have to do do damage control because he didn't do what they wanted. She know she has to get her act together and show up or nothing will get better for her
Why attack Dr. Phil? So, he has a great show! I feel this way, let him help people with real problems,who seek his advice and receives his help. The stars with lot's of money or not even interesting to watch or listen to. Real live people with real live problems are far more effective for those of us who are not loaded with money and behave they way they do. I do not feel sorry for the spears lady, you get what you deserve when you behave the way she does,who cares. There are other issues to discuss in this world!
I don't agree with what Phil Mc Graw did. No professional does. However, I would like to point out that "licensure" does not have any connection to whether someone has a Ph.D degree. He has a Ph.D. Personally, I do not think that anyone other than M.D.'s should be called "Doctor." It is too misleading, and is often deliberately used to mislead the public. Ph.D's vary widely in quality, particularly depending on where they were educated. Some people have received advanced degrees through correspondence schools. Licensure means very little. M.D.'s, if educated in the U.S., have a much higher standard to meet- especially if they are Board Certified. This means they had to go through pre- med, take the MCAT, get through 4 years of medical school within a hospital setting,take National Boards, then go through 3-5 years of Residency training. Plus possibly a 1-2 year Fellowship beyond that. Then they took the Specialty Boards, and had to pass written and oral examinations. As of this writing, you cannot get an M.D. from a correspondence school.
Dr. Phil is a short hop from Jerry Springer, except Springer is much more likeable. Do you really think any of this was really about Britney? The good Dr.'s ego has overflowed his generous girth and has now imbued his entire family with great omniscience as well.
P.S. Wanna buy a diet book?
As for the meaning of doctor, i second that of what the anonoymous 2 posts ago said. there are some PhD psychologists that are very good, but there is a lot of vairation and not enough standardization. The only reason why they even enter the realm of medical credibility is there aren't enough psychistrists out there - because there isn't parity for mental health issues in the first place. If people with mental health issues started getting outraged, there would be more med students compelled to go into psychiatry - and not just the meds part of it. The governemtn and private health insurance companies would be forced to give mental health parity with other illnesses and then it would be more attractive a field for MDs because we'd actually get paid to a level of other specialists. I'm clearly not in psych for the money, but its getting rediculous. Here is a classic example of mental health system failing again - if Brittney had cancer no one would be making jokes about her on late night tv shows. its tragic. its about time people struggling wit mental illness and their allies start speaking out - we could actaully turn this whole brittney mess into something positive. I was never a brittney fan before, but now i support her 100%. She needs to get help. Then maybe she can use her fame to help inspire others to come forward. Enough is enough. The mental health system is in crisis, but where's the outrage? its also sick that our society continues to "buy" all brittney press - i say just boycott anything in the news on brittney. she deserves and needs her privacy. when she is bettter and if she wants to talk on a national forum, then i'll gladly listen. but in the meantime, lets leave her alone. Anoter aside - the APA (American Psychaitric Association) does not in any way endorse "Dr." Phil. In fact, the APA has issued numerous position papers on how we disapprove of the info dr phil portrays to the extent that we actaully feel it is doing the public harm.
I had a recent situation similarly. My shrink talked to my mother when he should have talked to me, but he was AVOIDING a conflict of his bad front desk person refusing to schedule my appointments. I have outside interference in all my care, and i dont see where the FBI Or police have any right to follow you to your Dr office and cause trouble.
My Dr should have addressed it with me and gotten me an advocate with the state police to stop the stalkings by these private people.
IF there is NO Authorization to talk to someone.. there is NO authorization... that goes for the cops too!
Dr Phil is a PhD, which gives him the right to be called a Doctor! His time put in working for that degree stands for itself. He does not have a license in the state of CA, but he does come clean on the Britany thing on his show this past week. He came at the request of her family as a friend, not as a professional.
Britany needs serious help and real soon! Too bad her parents weren't guiding her before instead of boo-hooing how she turned out now.
Leave Dr. Phil out of this, it's not his issue. The focus needs to stay on B.S. not him.
I am so sorry to see all the bad-mouthing about Dr. Phil [and Oprah].
What does it all have to do with a sad, ill young girl.?
She needs help and the media is hurting her, not Dr. Phil.
He said a long time ago how sad it was and she was crying out for help.
No one helped, its always a delicate situation when its a persons mind that needs help.
I hope and pray that things will happen for this young woman that will truly be of help to her, but it wont be in the public eye, it cannot work there.
Will all the nosy and curious please leave her alone and let the people who do care help her?.
Why is everyone putting Dr Phil down?? Its a privacy thing yes but it doesnt look to me like Britney gets any privacy from anyone. Everyday the news seems to keep us up to date as to what she did the day/ night before. Shouldnt that be private? Everyone knows Britney has mental problems. Why not just leave her be. Maybe shed get some help if every move she made werent reported to the world. What difference does it make if its Dr Phil or the Paperazzi??
Brit is responsible for her own actions.
"Dr.: Phil is a first class baboon and Oprah is right there with him! Mud people both of them!!
Britney is a mess up person who like attention in any way she can get it. She may have a serious problem that she need help for, but she loves to be in the public eye, because if she didn't she would not do all the crap that she does. I am so tired of seeing her on T.V. and hearing about her. Maybe if everyone just forgot about her she would get the help she needs. Back off of Dr.Phil he is a nice guy who agree's Bratney needs help. The Spear's family knew what they were doing when they asked Dr.Phil to go talk to her because they all just want to be in the public eye. Why else do you think they call Dr. Phil he's on T.V. what better way to be seen in the public eye!!!!
I happen to be a former NAMI-NYS board member and a consumer of mental health services. What was done to Britney is wrong. She is in need of help, and publicizing it through a very public program will do nothing to help accept turn her away from care and trust.
Treatment works if you can get it, and she can. However, i am concerned that the press needs to stay away. Britney needs someone with experience to help her through this.
Britney loves the attention from the media. She goes out everywhere especially to starbucks just so the paparazzi can talk to her and she can act up and say all kinds of weird things and do stupid stuff. She is very disturbed mentally, everybody knows that. When she stops behaving like a spoiled child then maybe she will get the proper help.
After watching "Dr." Phil's show, it is amazingly clear that he is NOT a practicing mental health clinician and
should have stayed away from the Spears family and their trauma. He calls them "friends", yet it was clearly a way to promote a show, for himself and the Spears'
family to get ratings and more money. Shame on the whole group....at a young mother's expense! Bill Cosby
is as much a "DR." as Phil is. The whole McGraw family has made TOO much money on books and products, in
my estimatation. Where would the whole show be without the PROFESSIONALS that GIVE ADVICE to Phil, and the REAL mental health centers that follow up on the REAL care that his show guests receive?Phil McGraw helped Oprah through her court work.
She propelled him into a millionaire. Now he wants to visit mentally fragile stars? The McGraw family is
LOVING the fame and the money, and should stay out of the medical fields. Let the show's REAL medical people keep doing their research, so they can all write books and claim them as their own life's knowledge. Power knows no limits. P.S. I am a DR.
You have made a grammatical mistake that is so commomly made among the masses. There is nothing misleading about referring to Phil McGraw as "doctor"; after all, he does have a Doctor of Philosophy degree. It would, however, be a mistake and misleading to refer to him as a "physician."
This sounds like Princess Diana all over again. The media is having a feeding frenzy on Britney. Dr. Phil has jumped on that bandwagon as well. I just hope he can handle the consequences of his actions.
I am not a fan of Dr. Phill, but I have inadvertently watched some of his
"TV SHOWS" I think he is a directive and arrogant man. I am not impressed by his controlling approach and nonclient centered attitude. His body language shows more anger than empathy. The people who appear on his shows do it more for the money than for the help they expect to get. I also can't believe how many people hate him and have nothing but negative things to say about his cohersive approach....
I think America better stop blaming Dr. Phil or anybody else for Britney's problems. She may have a lot of money but it is not doing her a whole lot of good. I say focus on other people or things for awhile, it is clear, that she is having a ball with all this attention. If she wanted her kids back, she would seek mental health, then go on his show and tell her story,so she can help everybody else that is having problems.
Ok look I use to like Britney until she left Disney and started on her own. Yes she is going through a rough time, but ya know it takes someone stating the hard truth that people don't want to face in order for people to see the light. I give Dr. Phil a high five for being the one to say "yes she has a problem, yes she needs help, yes the public needs to leave her alone, yes she needs treatment." and take the heat for it. I think Dr. Phil deseves a pat on the back for this one. I wish more people would step up to the plate instead of trying to hide it, or act like there is nothing wrong. No wonder we have so many problems with out teenagers today, look at who they "look up to". Personaly my children are not allowed to watch Lindsey, Britney, or anyone who will have any kind of a bad influence on them. Katie E/ Rapid City,SD
No one is blaming Dr Phil for her problems, but there's certainly something incredibly sinister about seeing a woman for an hour and then making strong conclusion about her mental state via a PRESS RELEASE.
If that doesn't bother you in any sense and you don't see that as taking complete advantage of her situation then I don't even know what to say. Dr Phil is part of the media in many senses, but certainly in the sense that he's yet another person associating himself with her for nothing more than personal gain.
I am not at all sure that Dr. Phil is the full culprit here. Look at her mother and the rest of her family. They are all media hounds and screwed up in the head. Now, her "concerned" mother should have been a little more concerned about Brit's little sister who is knocked up at 16. The mother is a known media hound and would sell her whole family for her 15 minutes in the spotlight. That is exactly why the judge in Brit's case gave over conservatorship to the father and NOT the mother. I would not at all be surprised if the mother agreed to air her daughter's dirty laundry on Dr. Phil's show. She is not at all impressive as a mother or a caring human being to me. I, in fact, am somewhat surprised that Robin McGraw is even friends with her.
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