Angry Cruise defends Scientology bar on drugs

[emad]

June 26, 2005


John Harlow, Los Angeles



THE actor Tom Cruise has added to a growing reputation for eccentricity after a heated row on American television over his support for the Church of Scientology.

Cruise, 42 — whose new film, War of the Worlds, had its London premiere last week — rounded on Matt Lauer, genial host of NBC’s Today programme, when the subject of their interview turned to the controversial religion and the prospect of his fiancée Katie Holmes, 26, being converted.

“Scientology is something that you don’t understand,” declared Cruise. “It is a religion. Because it’s dealing with the spirit. You as a spiritual being.”

The interview became more combative when he was asked about a public reprimand that he gave recently to Brooke Shields, the actress, for taking antidepressants rather than vitamins when she was diagnosed with postnatal depression.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1669435,00.html

What a dork....

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. I know this is mean

but I want Tom to come down with a wicked case of depression. Or maybe a family member needs to develop schizophrenia or a bi-polar illness.

[Mizmoon]

4. Yep, that's mean

He's entitled to his opinions. I have had a schizophrenic family member and what psychiatry did to her verged on criminal.

They go too far but the scientology criticisms of psychaitry are not totally wrong. They were the first ones to say the prozac caused suicide in children and teens and everyone made fun of them. Guess who was right?

(p.s. I'm a catholic in case you're wondering, and I think zemu is a joke)

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. My schizophrenic family member

has a reasonably normal life thanks to meds. She has received excellent care. Without meds, she would be institutionalized.

I have been angry with the Scientologists since they began their anti-Ritalin campaign. When my kids were growing up, I would have gladly sent either one to spend a week with a Scientologist without their Ritalin. :)

Yes, we may have some folks on meds who don't really need them. But both of my children greatly benefited from Ritalin. They were diagnosed accurately and survived their childhood because of it. They are in their 20s now and stopped taking stimulants in middle and high school. One is on the dean's list.

So you can't paint with the broad brush Cruise is using. There are far more kids who have been helped by meds than the number who are misdiagnosed and/or have suffered.

[Mizmoon]

14. I'm not against meds

I think that people who are having problems should give them a try - they can and do work miracles. I think that forcing people to take them is an abomination.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I agree somewhat

because we had to force my family member to take them initially. She now sees the benefits and takes them willingly. But 25 years ago, she would have refused if given the choice.

[Mizmoon]

19. It's hard to talk about personal situations

but after spending a lot of time studying the history of mental illness treatment I have found that people use the "last resort" excuse to heap all kinds of abusive "treatment" on these poor folks. I am deeply wary of anyone who says they are going to force, coerce, or imprison them for 'their own best interests'.

People think it's so impossible that the abuses of the past could return, but I ask them to remember the case of the hospital that did uneeded heart surgery on hundreds of people. Who would have dreamed that this could happen in this day and age? Even entire hospital systems can do things that are not in the best interests of their patients.
-------------
Tenet Suit Alleges Unneeded Heart Surgery
AP -

08/17/03 - A lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare Corp. claims doctors at a California hospital performed unnecessary heart surgery on hundreds of patients, including country music star Merle Haggard.

The suit, filed Friday against Tenet and eight doctors, is the latest in a series of probes and lawsuits involving the nation's second-largest for-profit hospital chain.

Fifty-one of the 366 patients in the suit have died. The suit contends some died from procedures performed at Redding Medical Center in Northern California.

Tenet officials declined to comment Friday to the Los Angeles Times, saying they had not seen the lawsuit. Company lawyers were not available Saturday.

http://www.yourlawyer.com/practice/news.htm?story_id=6462&topic=Medical%20Malpractice

[proud2BlibKansan]

20. I always think of the huge number of success stories

Not that any mistakes are okay, but modern medicine does get some things right.

As for my personal story, it is the extent of my own experience in the treatment of mental illness. My family feels quite fortunate. And we know that had we allowed our family member to decide for herself if she needed meds, she would most likely have died from a suicide. She made 4 attempts before finally being diagnosed and treatment planned. So we had no problem deciding she needed meds and worked hard to convince her this was the right way to go. And after 25 years she takes fewer meds today than when initially diagnosed. So we have not seen modern psychiatry forcing multiple meds on her. It's been quite the opposite. Her doctors are always trying to reduce her meds.

[grumpy old fart]

9. Zemu is a joke? Really?

Pure Genius. And by the way, go back and look at the great Prozac scare of the recent past, and you'll find most of the data are anecdotal at best.

[Mizmoon]

13. That's why the FDA gave it a black box warning, ey?

cause it was nothin' much but a few dead teens ... :eyes:

[Heidi]

5. I'd rather see him have an epiphany.

One of the best friends I've ever had has suffered most of his life with bipolar disorder, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone else as an object lesson, however badly Mr. Cruise seems to need the lesson.

Frankly, I don't care that he eschews psychiatry as a treatment for himself, or even for his kids unless their lives are endangered. But when he publicly declares "war" on psychiatry and demands that it be "outlawed," he's advocating a public health agenda, not unlike Jerry Falwell's and Randall Terry's agenda, that infringes on our right to make our own health care choices.

I'm afraid that Mr. Cruise has become a religious extremist.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Agreed

Until Cruise experiences first hand the devastation of mental illness he needs to keep his mouth shut.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

12. Almost unfathomable for people who haven't been there...

I've worked with homeless mentally ill, and you can't believe their stories. One guy had owned a successful printing company in his late 20's (bought out his father when he retired early). Then bi-polar disorder hit. Of course, bi-polar never really "hits" you, it sneaks up on you and sometimes you don't know what it is until you've lost everything, as this guy did.

Ten years later he was living in housing created specifically for the mentally ill (sort of like a halfway house) and trying to get his life back together. Weird as hell seeing this disheveled guy sitting in the commons room tutoring some of the facility's interns (they were college students). But to Mr. Cruise's point, this guy and nearly every other resident in the building were able to hold their lives together through constant medication and therapy.

The problem is that there's a huge stigma, even today, regarding mental illness. So many people are willing to listen to what Scientology has to say.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Now there's an idea

Maybe Tom should volunteer at a homeless shelter.

[arwalden]

2. Woo-woo.

[lumberingbear]

3. I guess.....

Tom has a right to believe what he wants. But the anger makes him "fanatical". How does he know what other's do and do not know. I guess he thinks he knows more about psychiatry than the experts. He was very rude and became very angry. Reminded me of the right-wingnuts and how they become so angry at the drop of a hat. I think a lot of the anger is from knowing that deep down inside, they don't have that much faith in what they say and believe.

[MrSandman]

15. An ad hominen attack....

Excused the need for real facts.:sarcasm:

[DS1]

6. I don't care if he's right or wrong, if he's beating on that smug prick

Matt Lauer, I'm happy to see it.

Should've slapped the prick, too.

[grumpy old fart]

10. That anyone's listening to a high school dropout, deep into a bizarre cult

on medical and scientific issues is just beyond sad.

[mitchum]

11. A LEARNING DISABLED "high school dropout, deep into...

a bizarre cult"

I am in complete agreement with you

[Deja Q]

17. Spirituality transcends money. It doesn't COST MONEY.

That's why any religion that asks for money ("tithes" and other BS) is a crock of steaming cattle cack, forgive me.