Spring Break
Cruise'n for trouble
Psychiatry is a legitimate field of medical science despite Cruise's complaints
By: Nicole Hoegg
Issue date: 7/18/05 Section: Opinion
When Tom Cruise appeared on "The Today Show" with Matt Lauer while promoting "War of the Worlds," the two, rather suddenly, got into a tense debate regarding the validity of psychiatry. Once the ball got rolling, Cruise eventually said that he doesn't believe in chemical imbalances. Instead, he thinks so-called disorders can be corrected with good, old-fashioned vitamins and exercise.
Consideration for your work aside: I'm sorry, Mr. Cruise, but I respectfully disagree.
Cruise began to wage his battle against psychiatry by criticizing Brooke Shields for taking drugs to treat postpartum depression. It has since ballooned into a full-fledged war between Cruise and the profession. More disturbing is that Cruise claims to have "researched" the ills of psychiatry, never specifying what type of research he did or what his sources were. Despite Cruise's criticisms, psychiatry is an important health field, and though it undoubtedly has weaknesses, it does a great service to the American public.
The definition of psychiatry explains why psychiatrists practice. According to Healthy Minds, the public information arm of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), a psychiatrist is "a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance abuse and addiction."
Psychiatrists are medical doctors first, specializing in mental health. Like any other doctor, they have to travel the long road through medical school and a four-year residency before establishing a practice. At the end, the education and experiences equip these individuals with the proper credentials to work with people on these issues every day.
The first point, Mr. Cruise, is that it's hard to discredit a medical license.
Since medical practice implies treatment, psychiatrists also work to provide the best possible treatment. However, it seems that modern psychiatry draws most of its critics regarding treatment methods. Just like any other medical practice, these types of decisions are not that easy. The APA's version of treatment consists of "full mental and physical health evaluation and an individualized treatment plan ... talk therapy, medication or other modalities."
Consideration for your work aside: I'm sorry, Mr. Cruise, but I respectfully disagree.
Cruise began to wage his battle against psychiatry by criticizing Brooke Shields for taking drugs to treat postpartum depression. It has since ballooned into a full-fledged war between Cruise and the profession. More disturbing is that Cruise claims to have "researched" the ills of psychiatry, never specifying what type of research he did or what his sources were. Despite Cruise's criticisms, psychiatry is an important health field, and though it undoubtedly has weaknesses, it does a great service to the American public.
The definition of psychiatry explains why psychiatrists practice. According to Healthy Minds, the public information arm of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), a psychiatrist is "a medical physician who specializes in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illnesses, including substance abuse and addiction."
Psychiatrists are medical doctors first, specializing in mental health. Like any other doctor, they have to travel the long road through medical school and a four-year residency before establishing a practice. At the end, the education and experiences equip these individuals with the proper credentials to work with people on these issues every day.
The first point, Mr. Cruise, is that it's hard to discredit a medical license.
Since medical practice implies treatment, psychiatrists also work to provide the best possible treatment. However, it seems that modern psychiatry draws most of its critics regarding treatment methods. Just like any other medical practice, these types of decisions are not that easy. The APA's version of treatment consists of "full mental and physical health evaluation and an individualized treatment plan ... talk therapy, medication or other modalities."
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