Dr. Phil program on extreme disorders..Aspergers & Toure

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Dr. Phil will feature a show on extreme disorders including Aspergers and Tourettes Syndrome this week on Tuesday January 17, 2006. Check your local programming for the time and station.

http://www.drphil.com/

I don't watch TV all that often, and I don't like Dr. Phil, so I'm probably going to miss it.

Ah, but know thine enemy. My roommate used to watch Dr. Phil all the time... it was fun to watch over her shoulder and mentally find the holes in his techniques. If I had a VCR and cable I'd tape it.

I'm sure Dr. Phil will screw up and misrepresent Asperger's... the one-paragraph show description on his site was enough to make that clear. They'll take an external perspective and focus on the anger and meltdowns as uncontrollable behavior, and if they offer a second perspective at all, it'll be "aw, poor boy, his brain's miswired and he can't help it". I bet there will be more sympathy given to the parents who "have to deal with it" than the 15-year-old himself. Doubt that any feasible solutions are offered. Dr. Phil's such an overbearing personality that the boy won't stand a shot of getting his own perspective out there.

I've got to wonder what those parents are thinking anyway, dragging their Aspie teenager onto a national TV show.

I used to watch Dr. Phil a lot, He okay I guess. I think His show will not be any help for the average person with Aspergers at all in the end. I might watch it or not I will have to remember when it on but it will not be very high on My list in the end.

Jeezus, this is what the site says:

"First, he looks at Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism which causes a person to lack control over his or her emotions, including anger. Rich and Karen's 15-year-old son, Alex, was diagnosed with Asperger's at age 6. His sudden fits of rage and erratic behavior have put a strain on his whole family. Should his parents be afraid of Alex, or is there something they can do to bring his behavior under control?"

That just annoys me to no end. The primary thing is regarding our lack of control over our emotions???? I have a lot of control over my emotions - too much, in fact. What happened to systematic thinking? Oh that's right, that's boring. Parents who are afraid of their screaming teenager? Now that's entertainment!

I also think it might do more harm than good in the end to the Aspergers, Autism, and Tourettes Communities too. Since it is going to be on National Television. These people in the end maybe far in left or right field for sure. I hope the people watching in the end will see that too.

I'm sure it'll do more harm than good. But it's still smart to at least hear what's being said.

Was there an email on the site?

I want to send them a letter. Sounds like a joke to me.

Dr. Phil show mailing address

Email the show here

Ask Dr. Phil a question

I just watched the clip... it's very rare for me to get angry... and this has upset me quite a bit.

What time does Dr. Phil come on? It looks like I need to figure out how to program my VCR. : /


I'm also hoping my mother doesn't watch this. She mentioned watching Dr. Phil a couple of times, though she's not a regular viewer.

Dr. Phil sucks!

I'm afraid I'll lose my job now if the stupid suburban moms get ahold of my dx, everyone watches that damn show.

He makes normal people look that angry too, it's his angle and agenda; scare tactics are a quick and easy way to make money and get an audience. He misrepresents everything, and if anyone who knows me watches this, they'll hopefully realize it's trash. Nothing but a "classy" and refined Jerry Springer Show. He could make a priest look like satan.

Thank you.

I will be sending something to EACH of those addresses.

This is the wrong kind of attention!

Thanks. I won't do anythign without actually watching the whole show, which I intend to tape. For like otehrs here, I am very concerened (my sarcasm aside). Liek Sarcastic Name, I am concern4d with how I would be perceived in my area of employment if shows like this only promote a hostile and negative view of AS. I often tell people I'm AS because I work with kids with AS and LDs. But who wants me to teach their kids if they assume because I'm AS I'm someone who can't control her emotions???

I strugle with some problems with overcomign negative emotions, but that specifically my EFD, not my AS. But overcoming negative emotions and having explosive outbursts and tantrums are very different.

Come to think of it, I've never even worked with a AS dx'd kid who was explosive and had tantrums. Except one - he was a vicious, mean, violent 2nd grader (and his parents both had serious anger management issues too). He showed nothing that indicated to me he had AS specifically as an underlying neurological condition - he was just a violent kid who expressedly enjoyed being violent. I told the school couselor I didn't think he was AS, but it didn't do any good. Both his parents wanted him to be AS., probably because they didn't want to deal with what was really wrong with that kid.

But all my other AS students, nothing like that whatsoever.

I have far better control over my emotions, than that. I even welcome the company of others. I don't throw fits and hit walls. I never did so, as a Teenager, either. I don't know if I'm going to watch it. Dr Phil seems to enjoy taking things that are neutral and turning them into Pity Stories. I'm not telling anybody about my AS, ever again. Not unless I know somebody for a good two Months, and they've known me for just as long. I don't want Pity from anybody, and I don't want anybody to think that I'm an Immature Little Thing who can't control my Bloody emotions. Shame on you, Dr. Phil!

It needs to be remembered that AS is on a sliding scale,not everyone will be as negatively affected as others,he might have things that are setting him off but his parents' haven't noticed,and he might not physically understand emotions which then cause overreactions,he's 15 so hormones can make this worse to.
However,it looks like no research has gone into AS being that the main point is 'lacking control over emotions' which certainly isn't a majority trait within AS.

I wouldn't respect anything he says,he made a mess of an episode with a woman suspected of having innatentive ADD once and he tends to argue his point across as if it's official fact,when he can be just as clueless as the people on his show.

Ps.
How about a game of Dr Phil Bingo?
Listen out for the following words to see if they appear: 'disease','illness', 'pyschiatric disorder', 'mild',
'disturbed', and 'loner'.
I would do,but being a UK based sky1 watcher,we don't get newer episodes,AFAIK.

Last edited by KingdomOfRats on 15 Jan 2006, 12:06 am, edited 1 time in total.