Not too long ago I wrote Are Psychiatrists Better Off Behind the Scenes?, a post about Dr. H. Steven Moffic’s recent Psychiatric Times article, Why Aren’t There Any Celebrity Psychiatrists? (which is a response to another article, The Los Angeles Times’ The Cult of Celebrity Doctors), and was fortunate enough to have Cindy Mellander, LMHC, a licensed mental health counselor in Washington, respond with her thoughts on celebrity psychiatrists.

It’s always a pleasure to gain some insight from a mental health professional, and Cindy, who once worked for two years with an Intensive Outpatient Program providing “outreach, community support, medication monitoring, crisis management and overall case management” for folks with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and co-occurring and dual diagnoses, is obviously no novice to the mental health world.

My comment is that although I tend to cringe when I hear a “counseling session” being conducted on television, I have to say that at some level, it might create a larger awareness of family and relationship issues that would otherwise be swept under the rug.

I could see a new awareness of mental illness and a resource for those with a diagnosis and the ones who love them finding a place for answers and maybe achieving a sense of ‘normalization’ if it was done professionally and under the advisement of professionals.

It has been my observation that people are seeking similar help/awareness from “the-comfort-of-their-homes” types of media such as television, online counseling, phone & video conferencing and even email counseling for various issues such as drug & alcohol dependency, family/relationship issues and compulsive behavior issues.

As a veteran of “do whatever works” to help others, I could see value in real mental health issues being addressed on television.

Perhaps psychiatrists aren’t better off behind the scenes.

Of course, as with anything else, I’m sure it’s a matter of finding and maintaining balance – making the presence of the psychiatrist (whether it’s a TV show, radio spots, or some other media outlet) interesting enough to grab and hold on to viewers’/listeners’ attention (without an audience of some sort, after all, the doctor wouldn’t be creating a larger awareness) but professional enough to respect the patient (and audience) and avoid turning it into a ratings-hungry entertainment circus.

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Dr Antoine Spiteri (July 21, 2010)

From Psych Central's website:
PsychCentral (July 21, 2010)

    Last reviewed: 21 Jul 2010