Thursday, January 17, 2008

Addiction Cures: AA 12 Steps vs Scientology

Update Anderson Cooper interviews Mr. Wiseman

Note: Cooper doesn't believe the anti-depressant drugs have an involvement in increase in suicides among those who take the drugs. Wiseman doesn't clarify, either. this is a gross miscarriage of truth.

Wiseman missed an opportunity to cite studies which have shown the correlation.

A Look Inside the Church of Scientology
Aired January 18, 2008

BRUCE WISEMAN, PRESIDENT, CITIZEN'S COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS: The problem with psychiatry today is that it's a fraud. Psychiatry pretends to be a science when, in fact, it is not. COOPER: But criticism is leveled against scientology that, you know -- that it's all based on pseudo science. And that it's a fraud.

WISEMAN: Scientology is a religion. It deals with the spirit of man. Psychiatry is a materialistic practice that pretends to be a science.

COOPER: You don't believe it has helped anybody?

WISEMAN: How can it help someone? You talked about the antidepressant drugs, Anderson. Studies at Harvard, studies at Yale, studies at Columbia, studies at the State University of New York tie these drugs to acts of suicide and/or science.

Yet the psychiatrist slaps a label on a child who looks out the window or butts into line and puts them on these mind-altering drugs.

COOPER: Just factually speaking, though, the actual number of suicides or side effects is actually quite small, compared to the number of people who say that they derive very real life-saving benefits from these drugs.

WISEMAN: Factually speaking, studies show that people on these anti- depressant drugs commit suicide almost twice as much as those who don't. Studies have...

COOPER: Wait a minute. What that -- what you're really -- I mean, there's no clear, necessarily, correlation between the drugs themselves. You can make the argument these are people who, you know, have real problems and maybe would have committed suicide anyway. And perhaps the drugs didn't help them.
But you're just saying categorically no drugs work?

WISEMAN: No, and it's important to understand the difference when you say the word drugs. We're talking about mind-altering drugs. We're not talking about medicines that actually help; insulin or antibiotics.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/18/acd.02.html


Original post: One of the panel members on the program ShowBiz Tonight, Jane Velez-Mitchell, during an interview discussing the much-ado-about-nothing release of a video of Tom Cruise enthusiastic about Scientology, a religion, made a statement we had to take note of...

The host played a clip from a Cruise interview with Matt Lauer wherein Cruise said psychology doesn't work... it's a pseudo science...

M. J. Hammer then said Cruise says Scientology is the way to go for "help."

Jane Valez Mitchell then said. Not so. The cure to addictions is the 12 Steps.

(Note: the transcript doesn't appear to include the "chatter," or back and forth talking where often you really can't make out what anybody said.)

Well, we want to know. Does the 12 Steps Program have a great track record on curing addictions? How about Scientology?

Well, neither have a claim to any such track record curing addictions. Psychiatry doesn't. Addictions are never cured with any Program. The addictive person has to continuously remain aware of his or her tendencies to be addicted, to something. Whether that something is an illegal drug, a prescription drug, alcohol, negative thought patterns, web-posting way into the middle of the night and early morning before those courthouse offices open at 8 a.m., etc, the individual must continuously be aware mentally of these tendencies...

Net the Truth Online

SHOWBIZ TONIGHT
Tom Cruise Scientology Shocker
Aired January 16, 2008 - 23:00:00 ET
HAMMER: Absolutely. And I don`t think any of us are here to condemn anyone`s belief. We did mention a church spokesperson did tell SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that the tape, it is several years old and it did come from an awards ceremony which had honored Tom Cruise for his work helping out illiterate children.

But Jane, seeing tape and how we hear him saying what he says, does it shed some light to you on his role within Scientology?

VELEZ-MITCHELL: Honestly no, because it`s really hard to understand. Some things did come through, however. He talked about something I could kind of relate to saying it`s important to be a participant and not a spectator. And hey, I`m involved in a lot of causes. It`s easier to be a spectator and say there`s a problem over there but I don`t want to get involved. It`s harder to be a participant.

But some things she said were disturbing. He said as a scientologist when you go by a car accident, you know you have to help because you`re the only one who can really help. I think there`s a lot of paramedics upset with that comment. Of course he was probably using the phrase "car accident" as a metaphor for problems.

But he also said that he felt Scientology is the authority on getting off drugs and really the 12 steps is acknowledged by most addiction experts as being the way to get off drugs...


http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0801/16/sbt.01.html


'I'm passionate about life'
Actor Tom Cruise talks with 'Today' host Matt Lauer about his new love, new movie and his recent controversial comments
updated 2:44 a.m. ET, Sat., June. 25, 2005
The past few weeks have been full of excitement for Tom Cruise. “Today” host Matt Lauer sat down with the actor and talked about his new love, his new movie, “War of the Worlds,” and the recent firestorm he caused when he commented on Brooke Shield’s use of therapy and drugs to cure her postpartum depression.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8343367/

Cruise interview Matt Lauer reference transcripts

http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?read=73602

APA responds to Tom Cruise's anti-psychiatry remarks
Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 28 Jun 2005 - 6:00 PST

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/26719.php

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