Tom Cruise continues his tear through the media machine, promoting his new film War of the Worlds, which opens nationwide tomorrow.…
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Tom Cruise: Still Smiling Still Babbling, Psychiatrists Strike Back - Comments Page 3
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76 - Fonda
PEOPLE WHO TAKE DRUGS FOR DEPRESSION ARE WEAK AND STUPID FOR BEING DEPENDANT ON THEIR QWACK DOCTORS AND DRUGS THAT ARE SLOWLY KILLING THEM AND CAUSING OTHER SYMPTOMS SO THEY CAN TAKE MORE....
Do you also think people who take drugs for diabetes are "weak and stupid"? Diabetes is a disease caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the body, just as depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. Are you suggesting that an imbalance of neurotransmitters is impossible or that it is simply less valid? One thing is for sure in my experience in the mental health field, left untreated, BOTH diabetes and depression can be fatal.
It is apparent that you have NO experience with a people who suffer from mental illnesses. You can give someone all the vitamins & exercise in the world and their chemical imbalances can impede them from doing the activities that many people take for granted, (i.e. holding a job, maintaining personal relationships & problem solving, just to name a few).
You can concider yourself lucky that neither you nor you family members have been afflicked by this hope-robbing disease.
77 - Eric Olsen
like EVERYTHING it's a matter of balance and weighing costs and benefits; if drugs help more than they hurt then God bless 'em
78 - andy marsh
Speaking from personal experience on the issue of kids on ritalin...when my oldest daughter was in 3rd grade...her teacher contacted me with concerns that she might have been ADD...not ADHD...but ADD. I took her to be evaluated and was told by doctors that she did indeed suffer from this "affliction"...I fought the idea of giving my daughter speed...for quite a while...but after being brow beat by her mother and teachers...I relented...on a trial basis...if it didn't do anything...I was going to take her off it.
Well, she went from almost being left back in 3rd grade to making the honor roll...it was like night and day...before ritalin...she would come home and sit for hours attempting to complete home work assignemtns and things like that...after ritalin...she came home with no homework...she was finishing up her class assignments in school and then moving on to homework and finishing it.
I had heated arguments with teachers and administrators on this issue...I was told that my daughter just wouldn't pay attention...I said...maybe it's because the teacher is just not doing her job...my daughter could sit in front of a video game for hours...but not in front of a teacher!
She never took it on weekends or during the summer...but I'd have to say that it worked...and I don't know what else would have...I'd also say that putting a kid on ritalin just because they act up in school isn't quite right either...but I went to catholic school...they had a different kind of "medicine" for kids that acted up...seemed to work pretty well back in my day!
79 - AR
I can't believe that Tom Cruise would say things that he hasn't had to deal with and live through. He makes us parents, that have tried everything to help their children with ADHD and have to resort to medication, feel like we are wrong for wanting our child to be able to sit in class and learn something. So that they may make friends and live a normal life without people making fun of them. Tom Cruise will never understand what it is like until he himself goes through it. So until men can have babies and go through postpartum depression.. I think he should keep his mouth shut and not talk about things he has no clue about. And for his information we don't make our children take the medications... they see the difference, they like that they can think, do their homework, play with friends and be able to play games. I want him to be with my son for a week without medication and see what he thinks then. I find him very ignorant and stupid. I want him to live a regular life and have our problems and then come and tell us that there is no such thing as depression or ADHD. Because frankly he is in his own world where for people like him, it may not happen... OH OH OH but when it does, he will so be singing a different tune. Do you think Brook Shields or Maria Osmond really thought about post pardom depression before they got it? Do you think they believed in it or completly understood it before they got it? I doubt it. They learned from experiences... just like the rest of us. So Tom Cruise why don't you shut up and stop making the people of the "REAL" world feel like we are failing... because frankly you have no idea what you are talking about and you shouldn't be exploiting your stupidity.
80 - Michael hammond
In the recent interview with Matt Lauer this is the point that Tom Cruise didn’t make.
Do you know how much prescription drugs are worth to Big Pharma? On a world wide basis about a trillion + dollars. How far do you think they would go to protect this income? How much do you suppose the pharmaceutical companies spend advertising drugs on TV, Radio, Magazines and News media? How much do they spend lobbying Congress to look the other way? How much do they pay (Grants) universities such as Harvard and Columbia to agree that drugging children is scientifically valid? Right now Ritalin is being dispensed in schools under the guise of treating over active children(AAD and so many disorders that it could fit anyone of us). Ritalin is a form of amphetamine and of course as time goes by and it doesn’t “work” the school psychologist then prescribes a higher dosage and then amphetamines and the end product is the teenager becomes a drug addict and a lifetime client. Please don’t believe me but take the time to research it, Google is a great tool for this. Keywords are Prozac, Ritalin, School shootings, and Suicide. Regards Michael Hammond
81 - Chris Evans
I am so incredibly sick of TomKat and I want them both to die. They don't have enough talent between them to get this much media buzz. I'm so sick of hearing about them. And Tom was SO incredibly rude to Matt Lauer (Who, I admit, I have a crush on) on the Today Show. His behavior was RIDICULOUS.
82 - Natalie Davis
Wow, Mr. Evans, that's harsh.
Cruise can say what he wants. But his singling-out of Brooke Shields and insults about her career (I want to see him sing and dance in a Broadway musical and succeed at it) are just beyond the proverbial pale. I have never been a fan of the actor, but now I can say that I dislike what I have seen of the man. Free Katie!
83 - Greg
Eric: something "doing more good than harm" is not really the standard we should be going for, on substances that say right no the label that can cause suididal ideation, violence.
To Chris: I don't believe it's appropriate to say that you wish the death of someone simply because you don't like their acting. Reel your rage back in.
84 - Eric Olsen
Greg, in the societal sense, doing more good than harm is exactly the criterion - of course we want to label properly and take into account side effects
85 - nomail
O.K., first thing's first: MATT was the one who brought up the subject of psychiatry and Scientology! People are saying Tom is shoving his religion and his views on psychiatry down people's throats. I ask, HOW SO??? So far, I only count two statements on psychiatry: one on "Entertainment Tonight" and the other on "The Today Show", the latter of which the host ASKED him about this. Tom simply responded to the question and Matt kept asking more questions. And this was supposed to be for a movie promotion. That's bullsh*t. And as far as Scientology, he simply BRIEFLY states his views on it. And for the tent on his latest movie set, I didn't hear any complaints. He said some people appreciated it and Steven Spieldberg himself it didn't cause a problem.
Another thing I see here that's also bullsh*t is how people keep putting words in his mouth, such as Tom saying anyone who disagrees with him doesn't know anything. How do you arrive to that conclusion? Because you saw him on ONE TV interview where he disagreed with the host? Or how about that idiot who said Tom said there wasn't such thing as a hormonal imbalance. Last I checked he was only talking about a chemical imbalance in the brain. Give me a break.
The other thing is that people are saying he disagrees with psychiatry purely because of his religion. Did no one read in an interview how he said he didn't agree with psychiatry before he was a Scientologist, and a psychiatrist (or M.D.) tried to put him on a psychotropic drug when he was a kid? And how do you know he is speaking purely out of religious beliefs? Never once did he state a PURELY Scientology reason why he disagreed with psychiatry. You people just seem to assume that just because Scientology doesn't agree with psychiatry that Tom doens't agree with it for the same reasons Scientology doesn't.
I can understand if you object to Tom's statements, but just STOP PUTTING WORDS INTO HIS MOUTH! I cannot stress that point enough, and if you look back and what Tom actually SAID (in his two interviews or whatever on the subject) and what you all are saying he said, there are HUGE differences.
I would like to thank Mikie for that point on psychiatrists saying mental illnesses (or at least depression) "may" or "might" be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. That "may" or "might" parts are a very good point, and I will look into that. Thank you.
86 - nomail
EDIT TO LAST POST: On the part on people assuming that just because Scientology disagrees with psychiatry Tom disagrees for the same reasons, what I really meant was that you are assuming Tom disagrees with psychiatry ONLY for the reasons that Scientology does because of its religious beliefs. I meant to say that you are assuming Tom doesn't have any secular reasons for why he disagrees with psychiatry.
I'd also like to add for the record now that you are also assuming that Scientologists disagree with psychiatry for non-secular reasons. An example of what I mean is Creationists disagree with evolution being taught in schools because it goes against what the Bible says. They disagree out of religious reasons, whereas someone may disagree with, say, pollution (sorry, couldn't think of a better example) because it's just bad for the planet, and this reason is not limited to religious beliefs. Hope you understand what I mean.
87 - Temple Stark
>>Or how about that idiot who said Tom said there wasn't such thing as a hormonal imbalance. Last I checked he was only talking about a chemical imbalance in the brain.
Thar's actually a good point. Hormones are of course chemicals but not all chemicals in the body are hormones.
88 - Parent of a Bipolar
Tom Cruise is a movie star and in some kids eyes they probably idealize him. I pray to God that none of those kids stopped taking there meds because of his selfish and unprofessional comments against mental health. I'm quite sure there are some kids out there right now suffering with there illness because Cruise steered them away from there meds. He should be held accountable for his actions, boycott his movies. The public made him a star and the public and bring him down off cloud nine!
89 - Luke
If there's no such thing as a chemical imbalance, then all my halucinations are real, and everybody else is just drugged off their minds.
90 - #90 Becky
I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinions and perceptions. I am a Medical Technologist who has lived with mental illnesses all my life. My father has manic-depressive disorder and is in denial that he has it but he was on Lithium for 7 years and it had an amazing calming influence on him and it probably saved my Mom's sanity. But my brothers and I grew up with it.
My husband has severe OCD and was told he may never be able to work again. He didn't for 7 years but now with the help of his medical doctor and one med, he is working and successful in a job he loves. His one med helps to control his debilitating behavior.
My son has bipolar(manic-depression), OCD, addiction and borderline personality traits. We would have lost him if it wouldn't have been for his meds. There were times he was overmedicated and worse but he was monitored closely during those rough times. I agree with Bea and Dee that anyone who does not have to take meds for any medical illnesses is lucky and also if anyone wants to try to live with my husband or son off their meds is welcome to try. Mental illness is a biological illness of the brain just like any of the illnesses associated with any of the other organs except the brain is more complicated.
Hopefully someday something other than meds will be able to help cure or alleviate symptoms but in the meantime it is great to have all the new meds when all we used to have was thorazine in which the patient was medicated to calm them but not necessarily make a person functional. The medical field has come a long way in learning about mental illness but there is still much to learn and hopefully some day we will have some great answers.
I also have chronic clinical depression for which one med works great for. I am highly functional and do not even appear to be medicated but without it I probably would not be able to function well.
I belong to an organization called NAMI which is a support group for people and families of people with mental illness. We provide support, raise money for research and help to raise awareness and "bust" the stigma of having MI.
By the way Luke, I thought your comment about your halluciantions was great!. You obviously have insight into the "real" thing. Take care and good luck to you.
91 - A.j.
FUC K TOM CRUISE :D
92 - Armin Siljkovic
He's a "star", therefore he is qualified to tell you how to live your life. Follow the rest, watch the shows, buy the gossip magazines, and join Scientology.
93 - anon
The supposed doctors on the previous list touting the benefits of Scientology are indeed Scientologists. Do an internet search if you don't believe so. They are basically quacks who couldn't hold down a solid practice without the support and backing of the cult of Scientology. They are doing more harm than good and shouldn't be practicing medicine.
94 - Andi
What Tom said was stupid and irresponsible. Personally I'll take my own experience, and science, not matter the financer, over some perceived message from god. I've struggled with ADD and Dyslexia all my life. While I've never taken meds, many of my friends in school did because others with similar disorders were the only ones who understood what I was going through, and knew how to help. Most progressed through High school with their medication being adjusted as they went and eventually many didn't even need it by the time they left high school. AD/HD is over diagnosed, but it is also real and under recognized. People like Cruise and his supporters think they understand it, and that it simply has to do with figiting and an lack or focus, but the truth is is SO much more then that. It affects so much more then that. I wasn't sure for awhile, but when I friend of mine told me that he thought ADD was made up and just my way of compensating I decided to take a good hard look at my self, friends with the same or similar conditions, and the average student. I may be an insider, but the difference was painfully obvious. The constant suggestion that these disorders are made up is painful and destructive to those who actually have. Like I said before it is over diagnosed, but that doesn't mean I doesn’t exist. Most families of the time therapy was attempted and failed, that’s why they turn to meds. Studies have proven the imbalance of chemical in the brain, that's what this entire article was about (since half of you didn't seem to read it) Scientologist have no idea how destructive and pain the things they say are on not only the families, but also the children, most of whom already struggle with self esteem. So after fighting to get their child the help they deserve, people like Tom seem to be trying to destroy the hard fought normality that those of us who are unbalance have fought our entire lives. I'm sorry, I don't care what you think, but you've got no right to tell me that I should sit here and suffer my entire life just because that’s the way god made me. God didn't make us with clothes, I don't see you walking around naked. After years of struggle in many aspects of our lives, and the taunting of those like cruise, those of us who actually know what their talking about, who've experienced and lived the disorder (or one like it) know that it is not a construct of the mind, nor a coping mechanism. Believe me, if i could change things so that I could pay attention in class, and understand my peers, and actually focus on homework I would.
You could spend a century studding, diagnosing, and observing these kind of disorder, but you will never understand until you’ve had it.
I couldn’t agree more with AR, and Kudos to Luke, that was great!!
95 - Andi
You could spend a century **Studying**, diagnosing, and observing these kind of disorders, but you will never understand until you've had it.
96 - Living Proof
The Biggest Scam which creates harm to the Individuals that HAVE ADHD, Including the ADULTS - (not only children have it) is that people ignore the fact that Today the ADHD is considered one of the best researched disorders in American History and the overall data on its validity are far more compelling than for most mental disorders and even many medical conditions," according to the American Medical Association Council on Scientific Affairs.
Please let us not forget that Dr. Baughman, the most influential naysayer, RETIRED in 1993, he was a CHILD Neurologist " so many advances have occurred not only in Science but technology, that allows us to be able to learn more about it.
Now, correct me if I am wrong, but has Dr Baughman been PERSONALLY involved in ANY randomized controlled scientific meta studies, clinical trials or research, based upon ADHD? In Any studies that have been acknowledged by the Medical boards? Especially in the past 10 Years, with the advancements of science and technology? And especially with Adults who have the disorder.. ADULTS who can articulate, and express their experiences better than children! Adults who can express their considerable frustrations and pain dealing with Untreated ADHD?
Noted Quote -
Although he is frequently cited by CCHR and has written articles in support of Applied Scholastics, Dr. Baughman is generally regarded as an unrepresentative and ill-informed voice on learning disabilities. The National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) told the Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce in a letter of September 29, 2000 that Dr. Baughman "represent[s] fringe opinions about the disorder and about psychiatry." His position is certainly at odds with mainstream research and ignores the findings of a huge amount of research from around the world.
Yes, indeed, the biggest fraud are articles and the individuals who really haven’t invested the time researching the disorder with individuals (ADULT) individuals who suffer from it day to day. and whom can share their Life Experience.
That indeed is a disservice to the public
He has been noted to say that scientific research has yet to prove him wrong.. i say that the Complete OPPOSITE is true. P.S, has anyone noticed also or is it just me, but it is very difficult to respond to many if not most of the sites that present these uninformed, personal prejudices? and if you do get to post, very rarely would you see your responses as they are being censored?
Especially noted by many of the "peers" and friends of Baughman? It does make one wonder.
from Living Proof
97 - Anonymous Alien
Psychiatry/Psychology were subjects originated to limit and control people.
Drugs and direct to consumer advertising = BIG MONEY.
Do you research before you bash someone.