Found at:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/opinion/stories/070605dnedicollin_wedlets.7957e04c.html

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Losing Cruise control

I know this may be a bit of old news, but the more I read about it the angrier I get--Tom Cruise. Has he ever studied psychiatry? Has he even studied anything that has to do with the human brain besides Scientology?

I suffer from an anxiety disorder known as panic disorder. Is this a chemical imbalance? Yes. Does Tom Cruise know for a fact that chemical imbalances do not exist? I guess he does because the great L. Ron Hubbard said so. Why anyone would be as passionate about something that was not even developed until the 1950s by a mediocre science-fiction writer is beyond me.

My initial diagnosis of panic disorder was terrifying. I would state that I would rather have cancer than the mental illness I was dealing with. That's how bad it was.

Before medication, I tried cognitive therapy, diet and exercise. Unfortunately, that did not relieve my symptoms. In order to continue with a normal life, I was prescribed an antidepressant, which is also used to reduce anxiety attacks. It worked, and seven years later I am able to do things I could not do when I first dealt with this disease. Does this make me weak? According to Tom Cruise, yes.

If Tom Cruise prefers to believe in Scientology, that is his choice. But he needs to understand that what the rest of us believe in is our choice, and he should not judge us for that.

Jessica Hayes, McKinney

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