What do you think of Dr Phil?

One man's cup of tea is another man's poison.

So goes life.

I dont feel he pushes the issues of depression or anxiety off to the side. I feel he tries to help them get help and address the issues. I like his no bs policy. It doesnt give people a way to get out of things the way they normally would by using excuses.

Not accepting excuses is very good but I don't think it changes the way the people stuck with the problem think. We read posts here at PC where our friends are "stuck" and it can take many conversations to slowly help pull them from the muck? I would be too stressed being on national TV and having this "famous" guy calling me names, etc. and my resistance would be at its highest; there wouldn't be much "listening" going on by me.

Perhaps people in the audience and at home benefit from seeing the no excuses method but I am reminded of all the "Biggest Loser" shows I watch (last night's being the latest) and how I'm still 115 pounds overweight and not exercising? It's a safe, vicarious method of being reprimanded and I can feel energized and say I'm going to exercise, etc. but I do nothing and then feel badly about myself. Granted most people in the audience aren't cheating on their husband's with their husband's best friend or something so they're not going to feel badly about themselves but I think the "no excuses" goes right over most people's heads because, "Oh! He wasn't talking to/about me!"

Does Dr. Phil even believe in mental illness?

The way he has treated people who seem to show life-long symptoms and/or behaviours of mental illness is unconscionable. As someone posted, MI is not something one can just "get over."

Although I appreciate his straight-forward style, I think the main purpose of his show is to sensationalize dysfunction.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of his guests end up worse for being on his show.

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AlteredState01 said:
Does Dr. Phil even believe in mental illness?

The way he has treated people who seem to show life-long symptoms and/or behaviours of mental illness is unconscionable. As someone posted, MI is not something one can just "get over."

Although I appreciate his straight-forward style, I think the main purpose of his show is to sensationalize dysfunction.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of his guests end up worse for being on his show.

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I disagree.

I watched an episode where he dealt with a severely agorophobic woman, and he treated her with the utmost kindness.

Over here in the UK we have a prog similar with someone called Jeremy Kylie, man he really is a sicko!...compared to him Dr Phil is excellent, but a lot of the points raised here I agree with, I liked what Perna said about how we all want to boo and geer at the badies, I think theirs truth in that. I think for someone that hasn't had therapy or any form of counselling, this how may help them decide if they wish to get help for issues or not? so I see it as a started prog, from watching that perhaps someone may be propelled into actually getting some help for themselfs? if it does that, then its worth an hours air time? plus I secretly fancy Phillywilly LOL

I used to watch his show everyday. I think he gave some good advice. But the last couple years I think he has "gone Hollywood". But I still watch once in awhile when i know he is going to have a topic that I am interested in. And I wish he would send me to La Hacienda. I think I need it.

I've never been able to sit through an entire episode, but my impressin is he is way too full of himself to care about the people he's claiming to help. If he truly cared about his patients, he wouldn't parade them on stage for the amusement of others.

I'm secretly sort of hooked on Dr. Phil - I got hooked on watching him when I was IP this summer. Part of it's that I like his no BS style, adn I think on some level he really does care about his subjects. But I also got to admit that part of me likes to watch because I can say, I'm not that messed up in comparison with his guests.

--splitimage

Ok, I did a little research on Dr Phil.....

-He lost his counseling license in the state of Texas for having an inappropriate relationship with a female client

-He pays his employees minimum wage and is tyrannical in his treatment of them

- He not only cheated on his first wife, he told her to get with the program, guys WILL cheat on their unsuspecting wives, happens all the time..........

Junerain, cite your sources; there are a lot of people out there that would love to make up things about Dr. Phil and get others to believe them. I don't think any of that is true. What are your sources of that "information" please?

I really like Dr. Phil. Sure its TV and TV likes drama so things happen that make me wonder why people would put themselves on the show and have their personal lives spread across the airwaves for the world to see. Not me man!

But ya know..... he and Oprah have done a lot to expose important mental health issues. That shouldn't be brush over as no big deal. Stigmas are being torn down because people are being made aware of mental illness.

That's a good thing. I've also read some of his books and his approach to relationships and personal wellness are ones I can learn a great deal from.

I appreciate what he tries to do everyday on his show to help people see how they can make different choices and get different results.

'We treat people how to treat us' has been a good lesson for me to learn from Dr. Phil.

as is.... 'you fight in front of your children and you change who they are.' That's another big one.

His messages and lessons may not be original but his style of presentation sure gets my attention.

Ok, here are my sources..........looks like it's even worse than I originally wrote..............

http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/featu...hil/index.html

That is more of a commentary to me, mostly on his unauthorized biography written by those who don't like him. Did you read the OJR review of the author of the Salon commentary? You might like her even less than Dr. Phil as depicted by her.

http://www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1017964459.php

Ok here's a more reputable source saying the same thing, one of the same things...

http://www.digg.com/celebrity/DR_Phi...ck_of_ethics_2

& Here's an interview with Dr. Phil's first wife.......

http://media.www.nineronline.com/med...-2004477.shtml

considering that he lost his license from an "inappropriate relationship" with a patient and then got in trouble for giving out advice to britney spears while not being a licensed psychiatrsit.... im gonna go with i think the world would be a better place if he was taken off the air. he spends his days telling people what is wrong with them. you don't fix a person's life from an hour long episode... those people require long term therapy that theyre not getting. instead theyre getting some wanna-be psych who thinks hes better than everyone else.

he reminds me of the author of men are from mars, women are from venus. sure, the guys a Ph.D... in physical education. he keeps his background hidden because then people would know he has no clue what he's talking about. i get better therapy from my dog.

And here's a quote from one of his staff, that the harsh 'get with it' stance is even harsher when dealing with his OWN STAFF.....that making people feel good is NOT his specialty (scroll down a ways to dr phil staff quote..)

http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2002-10-24#tv4

im pretty sure almost anyone can edit imdb.com. its a movie website... not a credible source of information. i typically dont trust websites that end in .com. i like the .org or .edu etc...

this is why i keep it on animal planet lol

I don't like the guy's style! But I don't think he's a horrible guy. Most stuff against him hasn't been proven. He didn't lose his license, he was sanctioned and had to take classes and jump through hoops he didn't want to jump through. It's a she-said/he-said case other than his giving the woman a job in his office which isn't allowed. And probably one of the reasons Texas doesn't allow it to protect therapists from situations like Dr. Phil got in! I have a therapist friend who was sanctioned because of a dispute with a long-time girlfriend; she got pissed and wrecked his career; happens every day. The rules aren't just there to protect us from unethical therapists but to protect the therapist too. That his ex-wife doesn't like him, so what? Lots of therapists have ex-wives and I bet few of them like them :-)

I consider it all gossip and I don't happen to read gossip magazines. I can see him on TV and decide what I think of the way he does things and what he has to say; he's out there in public for all to look at. The biggest thing I have against him is he stated he didn't like being a psychotherapist as his reason for getting out of the field so, as my husband says, "Were you lying then or are you lying now?" I bill him as an entertainer, pure and simple; I don't see a whole lot of difference these days between him and Jerry Springer.

But people aren't children; you can't protect them from their own folly of going on his show, liking him, etc. So he's a sleazeball and doesn't recognize his former partner in his writing; I'm never planning to go into business with the guy.

i'm still in love with him

Evangelists of any perswasion always make me uncomfortable. There is a certain narcissism in creating a universe and being convinced that you are the center of it.

That perspective generally leads to all sorts of trouble.

Dr. Phil is not the sun...though I'm sure he feels a bit "hot" at times...

The greatest healers IMHO are those who have found a way to be healed...

Lenny

Wow, Lenny, that was well worded/profound. I like your simple style. Oh, welcome to PsychCentral (PC) too