Hey Dr. Phil: Yeah...Um...Oops?

4/21/2012

First let me start off by saying the following: There are no perfect people, just perfect intentions. What do i mean by that? I have talked to people I know who watched Dr. Phil's show, 'From Heroes to Monsters'. Dr. Phil's intentions were pure. He wanted to show that guys who were seen as monsters were human. I get that. I respect that. The goal of his show was to help destigmatize PTSD. I wish more people would get on TV and do that.

It's not the content of the show that I have an issue with. It's the way that it was advertised on TV in the run-up to the show airing. Once again, the media whores who only care about ratings sensationalized the content of the show, thinking it would increase viewership - and I'm sure it did. Here's what they failed to consider and what Dr. Phil should have:

By advertising the show as being about 'monsters', guys that torch their wives, they failed to consider the thousands and thousands of people who would see the ad who never intended to watch the show. The show's sensationalized advertising just reinforced the stereotype that all combat veterans are crazy and dangerous.
Dr. Phil claims to have a degree. Well, I don't have a degree, but I have something called common sense. There are thousands of vets out there that are on the brink of getting help for their PTSD. What is one of the major issues that vets have with coming forward and getting help? TRUST - How many veterans decided because of the advertising for that show not to come forward and get help? The message that was reinforced with a lot of veterans after watching the advertisement was that the public at large views me as a crazy and dangerous person. It's called reinforcing a stereotype. If a stereotype gets enough reinforcement, it gets generally accepted as truth. That is not only dangerous but tragic.
When I saw that advertisement, I was really hurt and upset. My initial thought: "If this is how Dr. Phil sees us, well shit. How the hell are we supposed to change the minds of the average American? What the hell ever happened to the Hippocratic Oath? First, Do No Harm? He should have his license stripped from him!" Needless to say, I was a little angry. Even angry, there is a kernel of truth that resonates even now: First, Do No Harm.........

Those are the major points. I could go on a typing rant, but I think the message would get lost. Here it is in a nut shell: YOU SCREWED UP, DR. PHIL. You forgot one of the cardinal rules of being a doctor. As a highly trained psychologist, he should have been aware of the sensitivity and volatility of discussing this issue. With that in mind, you should have done more to protect those who are stigmatized by this stereotype. Your advertising 'specialists' should be fired. The advertisement doesn't accurately depict the content or intent of the show. What I find most disappointing is that I can't imagine this hit the air without you knowing about it, Dr. Phil. If you didn't know about it, you should have.

OK, I'm getting down off my soapbox now. I remind people again - there are no perfect people, just perfect intentions. While I detest how this turned out, I do recognize that his intentions were good. He has done so much to help people over the years that I am willing to forgive this - I just won't forget.

9 Comments

Cindy

4/21/2012 01:11:54 am

I did not see this show, but plan on looking it up online when I get a chance. I'm not sure if Phil chooses what is shown in advertisements?
On a different note, can you direct me to where you wrote about friends coming up to you and joking about things like- Oh, you have PTSD, are you going to go off and blow the place up, etc? I have his happen way too much in my work place. I have a boss who likes to introduce me as "she was in the war, she has guns, she's packing heat, look out for her, etc.." I would like to send her a copy to possibly shut her up! Thanks for all you do. I hope you have a good weekend.

Max Harris link

4/21/2012 01:27:18 am

Cindy,

I think the one you are talking about is this post:
http://www.combatveteranswithptsd.com/2/post/2012/04/the-whispers-and-the-looks.html
Hope this helps! Have a great weekend!

David

4/21/2012 02:31:28 am

The name on the show says "Dr. Phil!" that makes him responsible for the content, and promotion. Not the ad people, or the producers...Phil. Any negative effect from reinforcing the stigma via a marketing department is on Phil. I find eliminating people from my life that are dumb, shortsighted people who make judgements about something like PTSD from a commercial is actually good. So really, Dr Phil is giving you the opportunity to listen to a nutjob, in himself and his peanut brained followers, as means of accelerating the removal of assholes from your life....step 1 in PTSD recovery;)

4/21/2012 03:39:29 am

David,

I did state that I felt it was ultimately Dr. Phil's responsibility. That being said, I am willing to give him a mulligan for all of the good that he has done over the years. I do not think he is a nut-job and I don't think his followers are 'peanut brained'. From what I can tell, his followers actually thanked Dr. Phil for breaking the stereotypes during the show and and illustrating for the world what PTSD really is all about.

I can sense a lot of anger on your part and I feel that you have been the recipient of this fear from others. So have I. You have a choice, you can let the anger eat you up and blow up on people like that, or you can let it 'flow like water' and educate them and alleviate them of their ignorance. Getting angry and making assertions like you made in your comments just helps to justify the stereotypes. Does that make sense?

Neil Swartz

4/21/2012 04:03:23 am

Dr. Phil does not have a license to practice mental health counseling in any state. He did have one in Illinois, but it was either taken from him or he did not renew one. He did have a license at one point.

That being said, it is a "show" and he can do what he wants in the name of "entertainment." I think he is a worthless bully who thinks he can cure people in a 30 minute (after commercials) session. Hell, I have seen my shrink for going on 8 years now, I've made progress, but even my shrink thinks Dr. Phil is a phony and fake.

Thanks for the heads up on the show. I won't watch it, mostly because the language used on his show, in general, triggers me anyway.

4/21/2012 04:12:04 am

Neil,

Thank you for expressing your opinion. His website says that he retired from psychology so that he could pursue his 'educational media platform'. What the hell does that mean? His TV show? So I just lost all respect for the man. He decided to stop practicing so that he wouldn't be hamstrung by a little think called medical ethics. That's good to know...

4/21/2012 02:44:42 pm

Yes, that is the link I needed! Thank you, Max! :)

Torrey Shannon link

4/21/2012 03:40:18 pm

Great blog post. Did you look deeper into the book that his "expert PTSD panelist" was pimping out on the show? It was advice straight out of the Twilight Zone, including things like healing PTSD with mouthwash and chewing gum. I go into great detail here on my blog:

http://torreyshannon.com/2012/04/regarding-dr-phils-from-heroes-to-monsters-episode-heres-why-america-is-outraged-or-should-be/

I also explain why his is not a licensed doctor, a list of his sponsors and CBS execs, etc.

Thanks for chiming in on this issue. PTSD is not fodder for television ratings. Ever.

lasik link

9/19/2012 11:21:55 pm

Thanks to you! Finally I got some stuff in your blog post related. I was searching for some material related to matter included in post. Very useful and very informative. Thanks once again and do share some more posts if you have!

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