Comments on: ‘Dr Phil’ in Britney Spears row

By: dbluoody L.

dbluoody L. — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:56:43 +0000

Dr. Phil has a great show and I beleive sincerly is trying to help people. However his lapse in judgement in handling the Spears case makes me wonder about his motives. Was he trying to help or was he self promoting? Was his wallet thickness part of his thinking?
He now has an issue to deal with; it will be interesting to see if the good Dr. uses his own advise or that of an attorney.

By: catflap

catflap — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 23:03:35 +0000

dr. who?

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:47:40 +0000

Who cares what the mental health community thinks?
You should. They have a valid point.
People that mess around inside other people’s heads have an obligation to abide by the highest ethical standards. One of the first, and most basic ethical rules for psychologists is that you must not allow your desires and needs to play a part in your work. When you do that, you place your own needs before the needs of the client. There is an inherent power-differential in the therapist/client relationship which makes it easy for unscrupulous therapists to misuse power.
The mental health community isn’t just being spiteful because they all wish they’d thought of piggy-backing onto Britney’s fame first, they’re concerned about what looks to all the world like an ethical violation. He visited her without her asking for him, and before they’d had any sessions, before anything, the first thing he’s doing is planning a TV special. it looks to all the world like he’s attempting to exploit an emotionally vulnerable woman for his own gain. This is bad for the obvious reason that he wont be working 100% in her best interests, and also because it causes negative public perception of the mental health community, and makes every therapists job a little bit harder.

Does she need Dr.Phil? who knows. I’ve seen his show, and personally i cant stand him. But she clearly needs someone, and if Dr.Phil, as a “celebrity therapist” has the skills and experience with whatever special issues celebritys have, then thats fine, and he’s fine. What she doesn’t need is Dr.Phil planning the Opera special in his own mind while she’s spilling her guts on his couch.

By: Eric

Eric — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:48:28 +0000

Dr. Phil cannot help everyone, despite how it looks on his TV show. Often, if he finds he cannot help someone on his show, he will stop filming and rewind the tape, then kick the “offending” people off the set.

Also, we do not know the long-term effects of taking his advice. Maybe after ten years people fall into a new downward spiral and kill themselves. Maybe Dr. McGraw should take his own advice if so.

By: catflap

catflap — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:55:16 +0000

dr. phil who?

By: Reader's Write

Reader's Write — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:16:36 +0000

Ok I’ll say it.
Who Cares what the mental health community thinks.
Spears obviously needs some form of mental help.
Whether Dr. Phil is the one for the job….. I don’t know.