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Ms Spears was admitted for expert evaluation, to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles along with the usual massive media attention, after some sort of fracas related to issues of her access to her children. There was also an issue regarding her visitation rights which were withdrawn as it appeared unclear whether she was really capable of caring properly for herself, much less really young children.

Dr Phil interferes
After news stories of her release from hospital, it was reported that Dr Phil, perhaps the most heavily over-publicised shrink in the world, had stepped in. Apparently he announced to the press that he had gone to the hospital and had arrived while she was packing to leave, seemingly after she had been discharged. He said he had talked with her for an hour, and was seriously concerned about her physical and psychological state.

It was also announced that he would be discussing Ms Spears and her problems in an upcoming special edition of his popular TV programme. For many of us in the shrinking profession, alarm bells started to ring, and many criticised this odd behaviour. There had been no mention at all of Dr Phil having been asked to help by either Ms Spears or the doctors caring for her at that time.

Some of us have not been fans of Dr Phil's variety of entertainment programming, or of his seemingly insatiable desire for publicity. Though his shows are clearly enjoyed by many viewers, I find his "solutions" often glib and simplistic, and have long felt bothered about the apparent lack of concern when people in distress were encouraged to expose their problems for public entertainment. And about the implication that such brief and simple, often trivial, interventions would have any significant real benefits (we have never seen any proper evaluation of the results produced).

An upmarket Jerry Springer Show
His show is a sort of upmarket version of Jerry Springer, the inherent crudity disguised by psychobabble and a therapeutic frame. It also seems to focus on the problems of the well-heeled, those well able to pay for therapy, rather than the more realistic difficulties most of us experience. I don't see his show spending much time in an urban ghetto or among the homeless. Getting Britney's dramatic problems into his programme would suit his viewers and ratings.

After the first round of public criticism of his peculiar intervention, further statements were made on his behalf. We were told that he had been asked to intervene by family members, her mother, sister and brother, saying that they were concerned that she was being discharged too soon; and again we were told of the upcoming TV special, which would include members of her family.

A shrink can't intervene this way
Although Britney may have been behaving childishly lately, she is legally an adult. A doctor or psychologist would need to be very cautious about intervening at the request of family members, rather than of the person herself or her own doctor/caregiver, and without her explicit consent. And to interfere where someone else is already clinically in charge of the admission, because the family had concerns (which they should have been told to discuss with the doctors in charge of the case) is very dubious practice.

Commentators on tmz.com described his session with her as "more of an ambush", uninvited by the patient, who walked out and had to be persuaded to return to the room. He is said to have done most of the talking, and that the séance lasted more like 15 minutes than the hour he described, and they have said that he followed her, rather than accompanied her to her car.

She had been admitted on an order for psychiatric evaluation, had already been assessed by duly authorised and competent specialists, and was presumably under the care of some specific doctor(s) or shrink(s), and indeed had been discharged when he charged in. It would be very difficult to justify the interference of an outside shrink, whatever the mother or sister wanted.

The website TMZ asked the hospital why they "let a television doctor on a floor that has such fragile patients, particularly since Britney had no idea he was coming, "but received no comment". It was an excellent question to ask. McGraw (Dr Phil) was quoted as saying that "she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention" - I am puzzled as to what qualifications he has to enable him to assess anyone's medical needs.

Patient confidentiality and privacy
There are serious issues here, of patient confidentiality and privacy. If Dr Phil was asked, on one of his shows or his myriad interviews, for his view of the Spears matter, that might be acceptable, within limits. But only if he relied on information already in the public domain and the general issues of such behaviours and problems as they might apply to other people in distress. But to swoop in on a distressed celebrity, and, after a short time with them, to announce to the world press that they urgently need treatment, is rather different.

Then, while apparently using the privilege and access of a therapeutic or quasi-therapeutic nature, to announce that you will discuss the case in more detail in an hour-long television special, would go far beyond conduct that could be considered acceptable professionally. His show's website said, "Dr. Phil paid an exclusive visit to Britney Spears just moments before she left the hospital where she was admitted. Get the details of his one-on-one with the troubled pop star..."

If he had asked to see her explicitly as a fellow-celebrity or as a reporter, presumably she would have been better able to decide whether to talk to him at all and what to say if she did. That might have been acceptable. But to use any aspect of his professional qualifications to see her as if he were to be a shrink who was or would be treating her, would rule out any question of discussing the case and any of the privileged information he may have gained wearing his psychologist's hat. And what made this egotistical man think his wisdom could solve the problem, but that other specialists could not?

Then in further statements, Dr Phil cancelled the planned special programme about Britney Spears. Isn't this the same Dr Phil who was quoted about a month earlier, announcing to the world media that Lynne Spears, mother to Britney and the 16-year-old and now pregnant Jamie Lynn Spears, was a great mother and doing all she could during this time of woe for the family. What was this man doing? Was he a psychologist, an apologist, or a publicist? Was he intent on reviving Britney's career in entertainment, or his own?

Who'll be calling on the poor girl next? The cast of Grey's Anatomy? And did I really read that the Dr Phil Show was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling? For what hair? The moustache? Or for managing the receding hairline without excessive glare? But maybe that puts his current career in perspective.

(Professor M.A. Simpson, aka CyberShrink, February 2008)

(Sources eonline.com/gossip/, news24.com, google.com and psychwatch.blogspot.com/)
 

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