Here’s some of Tom Cruise’s comments on psychiatry and ritalin during his interview on the today show with Matt Laurer.
You can see the conventional version + video here, but I think this photo illustrated version is more interesting.
TOM CRUISE: No, you see. Here’s the problem. You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do… There is no such thing as a chemical imbalance.”
TOM CRUISE: Matt. Matt, Matt, you don’t even– you’re glib. You don’t even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, okay? That’s what I’ve done. Then you go and you say where’s– where’s the medical test? Where’s the blood test that says how much Ritalin you’re supposed to get?
MATT LAUER: You’re– you’re– it’s very impressive to listen to you. Because clearly, you’ve done the homework. And– and you know the subject.
Done his homework? Know his subject? Matt, you need to do your homework. I guess if you have to rely on hollywood celebrities for your show, you might be afraid to call them on their bullshit (althought to be fair, Matt did a bit).
I depend on Hollywood celebrities for my medical and mental health advice, they’re such shining examples of postive, well balanced mental health. Here’s another gem later on still related to Ritalin and Adderall,
TOM CRUISE: Matt, but here’s the point. What is the ideal scene for life. Okay. Ideal scene is someone not having to take anti-psychotic drugs.
Ritalin and Adderall are stimulant medications, not antipsychotics. Maybe it was a freudian slip? For clinical evidence of ADD as a real conditon, check this out
The TV newser has claimed that after the interview Cruise’s publicists demanded that the show only air parts of the interview relating to his movie and
Then the handlers threatened to pull all future star bookings from the top-rated morning show. NBC eventually came to an agreement with the reps, but I wonder what Cruise said in the 20 minutes of the interview that didn’t air…
Cruise is obviously adding on more disinformation and stigma for not only people with depression (i.e., his comments on Brooke Shields depression) but for ADDer too. Thanks Tom for making it harder for all of us, and increasing negative stigma against us.
Richard Leiby writing in the Washington Post, has commented on the story and claims that
Hubbard once wrote in an internal policy statement: “Our war has been forced to become to take over absolutely the field of mental healing on this planet in all forms.”
That’s a frightening future.