On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 3:44 PM, Kevin M. <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 7:28 AM, Bob in Jersey <[email protected]> > wrote: > > The suicide of former country singer Mindy McCready marks at least the > fifth > > death of a former client of "Celebrity Rehab", per the NY Daily News... > he > > was pretty much status quo about her on CNN the other day... > > Drew Pinsky might just be the most evil of all the celebridocs on TV > (Phil McGraw has harmed more people, but I don't think he has caused > fatalities). Forget about class-action lawsuits, family members and > friends of Pinsky's victims need to give him an old-school > ass-whooping. And to anyone who watched his exploitative crap, sorry > but you share some of the blame... and shame. > > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/19/celebrity-rehab-deaths-mindy-mccready_n_2716931.html > > > I have been spending a little time on this story today, as it relates to a couple of classes that I teach. My knowledge of Pinsky and his program (I learned today that he has or has had two or three different varities) is mostly from previous disussion on this list. Does anyone know if Pinsky claims that the "sessions" shown on television are part of formal mental health "treatment"? McGraw, for example, has a disclaimer at the end of his show that explicitly states that the show is for entertainment purposes only, and is not psychotherapy or treatment (I was at an American Psychological Association Convention session some years ago where this came up). Pinsky is a psychiatrist, and so under the purview of the *other* APA, but I suspect they have similar ethical guidelines. I would be more cautious than several of the online pieces I have seen today have been in implying that Pinsky is responsible for these deaths just because a high percentage of former patients?/castmembers? have killed themselves. Even if he were a pefectly ethical and legitimate therapist he might have a high suicide rate if he specializes in working with at risk patients. My own private practice tends to emphasize depressed young adults, and it is only pure luck that allows me to say (as of today but who knows about tomorrow) that none of my private patients have ever killed themselves. However, I would be as harsh as anyone on Pinsky's use of his patient's problems for entertainment. I'm sure this is justified as public education, but that is bullshit. It is exploitation of people in pain and at risk, and should not be condoned or allowed to continue. -- -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
