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Tom Cruise on Psychiatry

S

sebastiansdreams

Okay, so I was flipping through the channels this evening and something caught my attention. "Celebrity Justice," a program I was unaware existed until this evening, commented that Tom Cruise may have made some statements on the Today Show with Matt Lauer that may be raising discussions in Washington. Now, whether or not anyone in Washington cares what Cruise thinks, I found it a fascinating conversation.

Here's the basic scenario:

Lauer was interviewing Cruise on "War of The Worlds." Somehow the conversation turns into Tom Cruise breading the field of psychiatry. He made comments regarding Brook Sheilds and her using the anti-depressant Paxel. Then he scolds Lauer for suggesting that drugs such as Ritalin and anti-depressants do help people.

Here is the Drudge Report's coverage of this exchange.

This brings up two separate issues for me:

Firstly, should actors/actresses use their stardom to address issues? Especially in cases such as this, where Cruise is simply being interviewed for his movie, or Michael Moore's speech during the Oscars? This seems like a growing trend, and it is getting to the point where reporters are actually speaking to these celebrities to get their opinions on issues that the celebrity really has nothing to do with. So, speaking from an ethical point, should celebrities speak on such issues, and should reporters seek their opinions for such issues?

Secondly, what are your thoughts on psychiatry? Specifically, do you think that medicine can cure or help to cure disease or sickness? Does Cruise have a valid point in his diatribe? Is psychiatry a valid science, or is it as Cruise suggests, an invalid science?
 
Tom Cruise? The Scientologist? If he says something isn't a valid science, it probably means it is. :lol: Seriously, psychiatry is a science. You have to go to med school to be a psychiatrist. Depression is a hard mental illness to cure with drugs alone, counseling needs to be part of the picture too, which is why people see a psychiatrist, not a general practioner. But there are some illness, like schizophrenia, which need to be treated with meds.

As for celebrities getting involved with other issues, I figure, it's their fame. They can use it however they want.
 
I think we give these people too much attention. And I think they end up believing their own BS. I saw an interview with Brad Pitt a few months before this last Presidential election. The interview was about some movie he had coming out. At the end of the interview the interviewer asked him who he was going to vote for. He replied "Man, I dress up and play make believe for a living, no body should care who I'm going to vote for." I really like him now.
 
Can anyone take seriously someone involved with Scientology?
[If you have never read the story that is the core belief of Scientology, here is a link to it: http://www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuleaf.htm]

Bottom line is these people's opinions is no better nor worse than anyone else's. Being a celebrity doesn't make them authorities in any field.
I don't think that Tom Cruise realized how stupid he sounded when he claimed to know everything about psychology and medications when he has no medical degree, not even one in chemistry or pharmacy.........................
 
vandree said:
Can anyone take seriously someone involved with Scientology?
[If you have never read the story that is the core belief of Scientology, here is a link to it: http://www.xenu.net/archive/leaflet/xenuleaf.htm]

Bottom line is these people's opinions is no better nor worse than anyone else's. Being a celebrity doesn't make them authorities in any field.
I don't think that Tom Cruise realized how stupid he sounded when he claimed to know everything about psychology and medications when he has no medical degree, not even one in chemistry or pharmacy.........................

Your link didn't work for me. I don't know jack about Scientology, but I went here and did some quick reading. http://www.scientology.org/

Sounds awfully strange to me. What kind of "church" offers a "Free introductory service?" I also saw something they called "courses" some of which cost over $450. Sounds like a money making scam to me.

Maybe after taking their courses you're knowledgeable about what drugs help other people?
 
the only things i know as facts about scientology is that it was inveted in the 60's or 70's by a sci-fi author and they believe that our souls are contaminated with the souls of dead aliens.
 
vandree said:
As Vandree is linking this, there's something that needs to be said about the website, xenu.net aka Operation Clambake and Scientology itself.

Scientology is an interesting current mythology that instead of letting its members just learn, they are actually charged money to advance into it. Operation Clambake has gone to lengths to not only expose this crud, but also give away all of the "religion" that is taught. This has incensed the Scientologists to the point of trying to shutdown the website.

About 10 years ago I was walking down the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, MN. I was approached by a Scientologist to take a free IQ test and a free personality test. I looked into the window and saw Dianetics and said "Sure!". Did I mention I like to cause trouble?

So anyways, I take the personality test, and let me tell you, I have a horrible personality! Luckily, when I reviewed the test results with the Scientologist, this mythology could help me out. Then I took the IQ test, first I should mention that I've taken these before and have been accepted to Mensa, and the score was a little bit lower than my average but still at the genious level. Fortunately, Scientology could help me with that too! I had to ask how could they help someone that's already in the top 5% but I was shown a fill about L Ron Hubbard's life instead of the answer. He was a barnstormer. All I wanted were answers.

After the movie, I was shown a chart that talked about OTs (Operating Thetans) and blah blah blah. I asked about details only to be told that I wouldn't understand it. I pleaded that my IQ test was at a near perfect level so maybe I could just get the gist of it. Nope, I wouldn't understand it. Ho-hum.

Back to Scientology and Psychiatry, here's the interesting part from Operation Clambake:
The Harm it Does to a Person
The results of applying their crackpot psychotherapy (called "auditing") is to weaken the mind. The mind goes from a rational state to an irrational one as the delusional contents of the subconscious mind are brought to the surface and are assumed to be valid. It also makes a person more susceptible to suggestion since it submerges the critical thinking faculties of the mind into a partial subconscious state. It results in a permanent light hypnotic trance and so from thenceforth that person can be more easily controlled. The person will, to a much greater extent, believe and do whatever they are told. And of course this is used to the full in persuading them to hand over further money and dedicating themselves further to the cult.
The results of applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules in life is to lose the ability to think rationally and logically. A person loses the ability to think for themselves and so they lose the ability to challenge incorrect ideas. This makes them easier to control. It also isolates and alienates the person from society so that they withdraw from normal society and into their "Scientology" society. This further increases their susceptibility to the influence of their group. They end up being afraid of society, believing all society to be controlled by a group of drug companies, psychiatrists and financiers all of whom report to more remote masters. In other words they are in a state of mass paranoia. They therefore avoid reading newspapers and the like since they fear it will disturb their safe Scientology world. It is a downward spiral into madness.

The science fiction content of Scientology is revealed to them after they have reached the state they call "Clear", meaning freed from the aberrations of the mind. However, perhaps "brainwashed" would be a more applicable word to describe the mental state of someone who has survived the near entire delusional contents of their subconscious mind brought to the surface and presented to them as "truth". On the "advanced" levels (called OT levels) above the state of "Clear" they encounter the story of Xenu. Xenu was supposed to have gathered up all the overpopulation in this sector of the galaxy, brought them to Earth and then exterminated them using hydrogen bombs. The souls of these murdered people are then supposed to infest the body of everyone. They are called "body thetans". On the advanced levels of Scientology a person "audits out" these body thetans telepathically by getting them to re-experience their being exterminated by hydrogen bombs. So people on these levels assume all their bad thoughts and faulty memories are due to these body thetans infesting every part of their body and influencing them mentally. Many Scientologists go raving mad at this point if they have not done so already.
 
The results of applying their oversimplified and inapplicable rules in life is to lose the ability to think rationally and logically. A person loses the ability to think for themselves and so they lose the ability to challenge incorrect ideas. This makes them easier to control. It also isolates and alienates the person from society so that they withdraw from normal society and into their "Scientology" society.


.... I hope Katie Holmes is not as naive as she seems to be. She is already accompanied everywhere by a woman who works for Scientology
 
shuamort said:
As Vandree is linking this, there's something that needs to be said about the website, xenu.net aka Operation Clambake and Scientology itself.

Scientology is an interesting current mythology that instead of letting its members just learn, they are actually charged money to advance into it. Operation Clambake has gone to lengths to not only expose this crud, but also give away all of the "religion" that is taught. This has incensed the Scientologists to the point of trying to shutdown the website.

About 10 years ago I was walking down the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, MN. I was approached by a Scientologist to take a free IQ test and a free personality test. I looked into the window and saw Dianetics and said "Sure!". Did I mention I like to cause trouble?

So anyways, I take the personality test, and let me tell you, I have a horrible personality! Luckily, when I reviewed the test results with the Scientologist, this mythology could help me out. Then I took the IQ test, first I should mention that I've taken these before and have been accepted to Mensa, and the score was a little bit lower than my average but still at the genious level. Fortunately, Scientology could help me with that too! I had to ask how could they help someone that's already in the top 5% but I was shown a fill about L Ron Hubbard's life instead of the answer. He was a barnstormer. All I wanted were answers.

After the movie, I was shown a chart that talked about OTs (Operating Thetans) and blah blah blah. I asked about details only to be told that I wouldn't understand it. I pleaded that my IQ test was at a near perfect level so maybe I could just get the gist of it. Nope, I wouldn't understand it. Ho-hum.

Back to Scientology and Psychiatry, here's the interesting part from Operation Clambake:

I need to run into Portland tomorrow. I know where there's Scientology "church." Maybe I'll drop in an have some fun. Gawd I just love Tom Cruise, he so smart, if he's into this there must really be something to it. If I join the church and pay for the "courses" do I get to meet Tom? Think he'll let me bone Katie? Maybe we could have a threesome? Man, that would be awesome! When do I get to meet him? Isn't John Trovolta into this too? Can I ride in his plane? Think he'd get me into the movie business? How long do I have to pay for these courses before I get to star in my own movie? Think this will help me win an Oscar? How much will it cost for me to win an Oscar? Oh Gawd! maybe John will fly me to the Oscars the night I win.

I wonder how long they'll put up with me before they show me the door? Wonder if they ever would toss someone? I'm willing to bet if they see dollar signs they'd put up with a lot of BS.
 
I feel the L word taking hold of me and shaking me. I'm fighting it with all my being. No, No don't make me say it! :2sick1:
 
I wonder how long they'll put up with me before they show me the door?


As long as you keep on paying the doors will be open and they will even roll out the rd carpet for you! :lol:
 
Tom Cruise is an idiot and a one dimensional actor. If you've seen him in one film, you've seen him in all his films...it's the same basic character, isn't it?

As far as his rant, he talks of psychiatry and psychology in the same breath, as though they are the same thing....thus proving he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Psychiatry has proven that some people have chemical imbalances in their brains and certain drugs have been very effective.

Psychology is more about people and their feelings and inter-actions with the environment they live in.

I can just see some poor old woman watching Tom Cruise and throwing away her meds based only on what he says.

Let's sue Tom for mal-practice! LOL!
 
2 things come to my mind when Scientology is mentioned.

1. Now I admit this probably isn't fair, but oh well. Charles Manson studied scientology for a while and incorporated some of their beliefs into his cult. And look how that turned out.

2. I had a good friend from high school who joined the scientology church in the late 70's/early 80's. He lived and worked at their Hollywood center. He sent me some of L. Ron Hubbard's books - they were quite strange to say the least. Anyhow - my friend had an bad accident leaving him with permanent injuries and moved back home. (I was unaware that he had left until much later.) I wrote him one of my regular letters - it was returned to me ~3 months later with "no longer at address, unable to forward" hand written on the envelope. No problem - I've seen that before and since - except for the fact that the letter had been opened, read - even had some stuff crossed out, then put back into the envelope and taped shut! So - they apparently censor the incoming mail their members receive. I've never forgotten that and because of it have no respect for them at all.
 
Hoot said:
Tom Cruise is an idiot and a one dimensional actor. If you've seen him in one film, you've seen him in all his films...it's the same basic character, isn't it?

The only truly positive thing I have to say about his acting is that he knows how to pick roles. He is practically the same character in all of them, but they are normally blockbusters... so for that he has my props. But, that is just about where it ends these days.

As far as his rant, he talks of psychiatry and psychology in the same breath, as though they are the same thing....thus proving he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Thank you for mentioning that. I had meant to say that before. That psychology and psychiatry are two seperate sciences. But even more, it blows my mind that he would have the audacity to suggest that he knows the "history" of psyciatry more so that Matt Lauer, and to do so in a condescending manner.

I can just see some poor old woman watching Tom Cruise and throwing away her meds based only on what he says.

What blew my mind was that the show that originally drew my attention to this "Celebrity Justice" was suggesting that these comments may open some discussion in Washington? Come on! First off, as you pointed out, the man doesn't really know what he's talking about. Secondly, since we did Washington watch the Today show and base their discussions around it. Now, whether this show was simply trying to make the story sound more important than it acctually was is of course up for grabs. But it certainly suggested that Washington was acting in some sort of response. How absurd is all of this?
 
Yes to expose them of who they are, and not the picture the paint everyone to think they are. :cool:
 
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