Take a look at the tabloid scene today and, chances are, you'll see nothing but second-guesses and armchair diagnoses of Britney Spears' mental health problems. Everything from anxiety disorder to depression, from bi-polar disorder to schizophrenia have been blamed for her recent (and not so recent) behavior. Just a few months prior, the tabloids were doing the exact same thing to Tom Cruise, especially after that infamous moment where he jumped up and down Oprah's couch like a hyperactive, spoiled brat on a sugar high. However, according to the American Psychoanalytic Association, this act of ?armchair psychoanalysis? may do more harm than good for Britney Spears, or pretty much anyone that is subjected to the same treatment.
One of the many things that the ASA, along with several other mental health professionals, finds disturbing is the fact that most of these diagnoses are invalid. In a number of cases, assigning problems like anxiety disorder or bi-polar disorder to someone other than the therapist or psychiatrist whom one has never met personally is unprofessional and dangerous. Even with the comprehesive coverage by news media, it still can't detail everything that goes on in a person's life, and even if it could, it still couldn't reveal what exactly was going on in a person's head. The ASA is also worried that these diagnoses showing up on the tabloids are being made by uninformed laymen, who have no idea how to properly discern the signs and symptoms of a mental illness. They contend that while Britney's behavior might show ?classic? signs of being bi-polar, it might actually be some rare form of anxiety disorder.
The ASA is concerned not only with the impact such accusations might have on Spears' mental health (which they have declined to speculate on), but also on the public perception of psychology and psychiatry as a whole. According to them, a proper diagnosis emerges from several consultations and meetings with the patient, and not merely the observations of ?ridiculous? behavior that the tabloids were making. Even licensed, experienced professionals cannot create a final diagnosis without having spent quite a bit of time with the patient. They also state that the behavior displayed by the media, which is selected to entice the largest reaction out of people, is limited and, thus, impossible to develop a proper diagnosis from.
Another problem that worries the ASA is the possibility that these diagnoses will be taken by the general public as fact. This stems from the fact that Britney Spears' celebrity status, combined with the incorrect diagnoses and outright ?labeling? by the tabloids, can give the general public drastic misconceptions on the nature of mood and anxiety disorders. It might also cause people to mistakenly attempt to ?self-diagnose? their problems and attribute them to one disorder or another.
The ASA, along with the National Institute of Mental Health is concerned that this might lead to the general public developing a viewpoint that over-simplifies mental illnesses, which is not the case. The human mind, as well as all disorders or illnesses that it contracts, is a complex structure. They also point out that attempting to diagnose any mental illness when the patient might have a substance abuse problem is highly improbable during the best of circumstances, let alone under media-controlled scrutiny.
For many who complete a stint in drug rehab, it's tough to keep your eye on the important goals after you return to your job, your family, your friends – all the old pressures, people, routines and locations that conspired to keep you addicted and your goals obscured. For celebrities it's even worse - having to keep smiling while the whole world, driven by pop media fueling false controversy, watches and wonders if they're going to make it, or relapse and have to go back to drug rehab.
Imagine living in a spotlight while trying to apply everything you've learned about how to stay sober in the weeks and months after leaving rehab. Lindsay Lohan just went home this week. So did Pete Doherty. Over the past year or so, Keith Urban, Mel Gibson, Whitney Houston, Robin Williams, Britney Spears and many other household names spent time in rehab and had to face the lights and microphones with the frenzied paparazzi following them everywhere.
It's disturbing to see millions of people expecting, even hoping, that celebrities who get out of rehab will fail and relapse, if their comments on articles and blogs all over the internet mean anything. Sure, sometimes temptation overwhelms the best of intentions and good people relapse and wind up back in rehab. But if it can happen to Joe the accountant or Mike the mechanic or Millie the boss's assistant, we should certainly understand how hard it is for celebrities to stay clean.
Celebrities coming out of rehab still have to be seen at the all the clubs and parties and events that are essential to their careers. And they have to avoid all the temptations they are offered there, and stay true to the goals they resurrected at drug rehab. Meanwhile they work long, arduous hours making their movies or television shows or albums, tour with their bands through city after exhausting city to bring joy to their fans, while barraged by offers of unspeakable temptations from idiot hangers-on, most of whom should be in drug rehab themselves. And always the media is there, watching, waiting like vultures, for the celeb to fall or fail.
What stinks about this is not just that some people hope celebrities will fall on their heads. What stinks is the pop media who have created a nasty little game called, "Will They Relapse?" After a celebrity leaves rehab the media reports every little twitch, stain and blemish in their behavior. They even report anything they can find out while the celeb is still in drug rehab! The game is designed to create controversy, because as everyone knows, only controversy builds readers and viewers and sells advertising. What news is there in a celebrity who has completed a successful drug rehab program and doesn't relapse? Can you see the headline: Lindsay Lohan Out Of Drug Rehab For Five Years And STILL Hasn't Relapsed! No, I didn’t think so.
Joe's, Mike's and Millie's families support their struggle to stay sober and out of rehab. Our artists deserve the same from us. Our actors, musicians, writers, directors, sports heroes – all our celebrities – are part of our daily lives and part of our families. They’re not characters in a play to be booed when they’re down and cheered when they're up. They're real people with real lives, and they live to make our dull lives a little happier and a little more interesting, not to tear us down. So let's stop tearing them down, and instead help them rehabilitate their goals that were buried by addiction. Let's wish them a successful drug rehab program and a lifetime of bringing more joy into our lives.
Both Harvey D. Ong & Rod Mactaggart are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Harvey D. Ong has sinced written about articles on various topics from Gardening, Health and Birth Control. Harvey Ong is a part-time writer and a part-time researcher. He is currently self-studying various Far Eastern languages and is an avid fiction reader.He is currently writing articles oriented towards consumers of pharmaceutical products,but has written a. Harvey D. Ong's top article generates over 60500 views. to your Favourites.
Rod Mactaggart has sinced written about articles on various topics from Addictions, Alcohol Treatment and Keyboard Synthesizer. Rod is a freelance writer that contributes articles on health.. Rod Mactaggart's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.