Dr. Phil is doing an episode on BP

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Registered: 07-21-2005
Dr. Phil is doing an episode on BP
7
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 8:33am

Today @ 5pm round here Dr. Phil is doing a show on "Inside the mind of a bipolar" I didnt really care for the title and the clips he showed pissed me off. The first one was of an unmedicated woman with teenage sons, she said she raged sooo bad she wanted to kill people and all that, then she says she fantasized about killing her family, including her kids. I was like why the f do they have people like that on the show? THere are plenty of bp people who act NOTHING like that, then they had another guy who thinks the FBI is hacking his computer and hears famous people telling him to do crazy stuff...what about a medicated bp who has a job and a family and isnt a freaking complete nutjob? Good thing Dr. Phil is doing something to help clear up the bipolar stigma. I lost some respect for him with that crap. I will watch the show and if yall can then try to watch. I will let you know how it plays out an if its bad we can all email him with comments about that and see if that gets us anywhere.

Rebekah

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Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 8:44am

FREAKING RATINGS!

I'll try to remember to watch...and then we will email the HECK outta him...wtf...there are SOOOOOO many functioning, medicated, BP's out there...and this is going to totally totally set us back...but let's watch first and see what the show is all about. Somehow though, I have a feeling he's gonna F it up.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2005
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 8:47am
after seeing the previews I think so too..but we will see how it goes...maybe he only has those two for ratings but then has another functioning bp to show the other side of the coin...I hope so.
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Registered: 10-02-2003
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 9:55am

I used to like Dr. Phil but than he started getting unrealistic. He has people on there who are so dramatic with problems that alot of us don't go through. I don't expect him to have anything real good about bp on his show. It seems now days it is all about drama and ratings. Instead of facts. We need someone to show both sides. Medicated and unmedicated. There is a big difference between the two. Us bp's who do try to take care of our illness need to be given public notice in order for there not to be such a stigma against us, but no it is easier to say we are all nut cases. I hope the show turns out to be a good outcome. I am watching it today but I am not getting my hopes up.


Talk to you all more about it after the show. It comes on at 3 where I am.


Tina

 
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Registered: 04-07-2002
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 10:18am

I take Dr. Phil with a grain of salt after the episode he did on Asperger's. He portrayed people with Asperger's as uncontrollable monsters. I had a problem with that, as I have Asperger's and know many others with it, and none of us are uncontrollable monsters. I will be watching this afternoon, and will seriously reconsider watching ever again if he does what I'm afraid he will do to the bipolar cause.

Express!
Beth "Petrouchka"

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 10:56am

a little while ago dr. p did something w/ a guest that was so ratings sleazy i couldn't get over it....actually i can think of 2 occaisions that stand out.
he HAS to pick these extreme cases so he can step up & offer to find them hope & therefore be the tv/book sales hero he is.
besides the audience WANTS to watch people fall apart.
ratings baby!

Avatar for suziq_3
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 10:59am
another thing:bp is like the "au courante" mental illness,so of course he's gonna bank on it.
i think i'll purpously miss it.don't feel like getting scared into symptoms that i don't have.
please let me know how it is.
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Registered: 08-30-2002
Tue, 03-07-2006 - 11:42am

I don't get tv or I'd watch it. It's funny because I went into his archives and typed bp and pulled up the guy that thinks people in Hollywood are talking to him. I was so disgusted. Dr. Phils camera crew being there fed into this guys delusion and triggered him. It was wrong, wrong, wrong to do this to him. I didn't even get to reading about the unmedicated mom. But these shows were like a year and a half old. Is he doing reruns?
I was hoping the new show on bp would be educational. Shows you how niave I am. I sure hope they show some functioning bps and their families and maybe have a NAMI rep on. Could you imagine?
BP is the current news of the day. I can't help but think about depression about 10-15 years ago. If you went to the Dr. for a pap smear and told him you were tired or had trouble sleeping they'd prescribe you antidepressants. I'm sure sooo many people were diagnosed that weren't clinically depressed. I fear they will "over diagnose" bp as well and the people that really need help are just going to be treated like a percentage of the general population and not taken as seriously as they need to be.
In a way it's good people are talking about it because it starts to remove stigma. It seems like the pendulum swings. Noone will talk about something, then everyone is talking about it. Hopefully a middle ground will be found and people will actually get a little educated in the process. It's just frustrating that these shows don't do the right thing and truly educate. I feel it's their responsibility to do it right if they are going to do it at all.

Lisa