http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1180571

J Clin Invest. 2005 August 1; 115(8): 1964–1965.
doi: 10.1172/JCI26200.
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Clinical Investigation

Tom Cruise is dangerous and irresponsible
Ushma S. Neill, Executive Editor

Yes, even the JCI can weigh in on celebrity gossip, but hopefully without becoming a tabloid. Rather, we want to shine a light on the reckless comments actor Tom Cruise has recently made that psychiatry is a "quack" field and his belief that postpartum depression cannot be treated pharmacologically. We can only hope that his influence as a celebrity does not hold back those in need of psychiatric treatment.

Several interviews have aired in which Tom Cruise has publicized his disdain for psychiatry and the mental health profession (1, 2). In one interview, Cruise claimed to know the literature on the history of psychiatry, chemical imbalances, and Ritalin (methylphenidate), the attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug (1). In another, he called actress Brooke Shields irresponsible for publishing a book on her battle with and treatment of postpartum depression, since he believes vitamins and exercise are all that is needed for treatment (2).

Throughout these and other interviews, Cruise spewed a number of irresponsible statements, attempting to pass them off as facts. However, several of Cruise's statements are very easy to dispel as false.

[....]

Go Back