Regarding Dr. Phil’s “From Heroes to Monsters?” Episode. Here’s Why America is Outraged, or Should Be!

On Thursday April 19, CBS aired an episode on the widely-popular television show Dr. Phil about veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. In doing so, Dr. Phil and his network also unleashed the fury of the military PTSD community. Now the military community is demanding a personal and public apology from Dr. Phil McGraw.

Shortly after the show came on air, the Dr. Phil Facebook page was inundated with comments to protest the title and content of the show. Unfortunately, veterans are reporting that a majority of the veteran’s comments have already been deleted as a result of censorship.

The show covered the journey of three extreme cases of combat veterans with PTSD, a portrayal far from the typical symptoms seen in veterans who are given this type of diagnosis.

The episode was named “From Heroes to Monsters?” The reference of veterans being “monsters” raised a lot of concern.  It didn’t help matters when he continued with a reference to veterans with PTSD being “damaged goods.”

The show’s website states in the episode description:

“Dr. Phil delves into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how it can destroy families, dismantle marriages and leave its victims reliving a nightmare.”

The outcry of the combat-veteran community was based mostly on the stigmatizing and insulting title of the episode, but extended into frustrations that the show did not cover ways to prevent PTSD from becoming so severe, the lack of any resources given to viewers who wished to seek their own diagnosis and treatment, nor any real-life advice on how to cope with PTSD.

I am going to give you a few examples of blog posts written by those within, or outside of, the wounded warrior community:

This is an excellent blog post titled “Monstrosity TV” by Debbie Stanley, the author the “Thoughts In Order” blog.  Debbie speaks about this subject as a mental health counselor and corporate psychologist.  Her grasp of veteran issues is exceptional, considering she is not directly impacted by TBI or PTSD and works in the civilian sector.  The links she provides in her post to outside sources are very valuable, but her words speak the honest truth in a way that everyone can fully understand.  Her comparison to polling a Kindergarten class really nailed it for me.

She writes, in part:

“This post is much simpler: You don’t have to be a licensed mental health professional, or any kind of professional–you don’t even have to be a grown-up–to know it’s harmful to call a person a monster or damaged goods.”

Here is another post worth reading, authored by Brittney Biddle, a wife of a wounded warrior.  Her post titled “From Heroes to Monsters, a Question not an Accusation” is seen on both her blogs, Biddle Buzz and Southern Girls Stand.  Note also, she is also part of the Family of a Vet network of volunteers and serves as their communications liaison.  She brings up great points in her blog post, even after taking a step back from the original shock over the title of the show.

She writes from experience with the following:

“The comment out of the whole show that disturbed me most was the one in which he stated that the service members returning from war are “damaged goods”. I don’t look at my husband as “damaged goods” and for anyone else to think that, refer to our veterans as that, or allow other people to believe that is purely upsetting. I would not want nor would I allow anyone in our lives that even thought for a moment that it would be okay to refer to my husband as “damaged goods”, because he isn’t. He enlisted in the army as an adult, a husband and father to two little girls. He left his family to fight for his country, for what he believed in, to keep those he loves and many others he has never met, safe. By enlisting, he proceeded to do one of the most selfless things a person can do. Him returning someone different, someone injured, someone with the daily battles and struggles of PTSD is NOT “damaged goods” by any means.”

Another great example of the reaction shared by many comes from Kristle Helmuth.  Her unique perspective comes from multiple sides of the issue.  Kristle is a 26 year-old Army veteran, wife of a wounded warrior, and mother of two children. She is the author of Forget The Dog Not The Baby, a blog that shares her personal experiences regarding her husbands injuries in Iraq, and their journey through healing.  She wrote this piece for Military.com’s SpouseBUZZ titled Dr. Phil: PTSD Takes Us “From Heroes to Monsters”.

In this article she writes:

I am really pissed off that CBS and the entire team at Dr. Phil would allow such ignorance to be thrown around about the men and women protecting the very right that allows him to do so. I do not see how titling a show From Heroes to Monsters, could be of any help to anyone.

The last blog I’d like to share with you is authored by Nicole.  Aptly named “Marine Wife Unplugged” she writes about life after her husband was medically evacuated from combat.  Nicole is a huge advocate for military families who battle PTSD and TBI’s, having seen the inner workings of the pain, struggles, anger, fear — and all the symptoms that come with PTSD and TBI’s second-hand.  She believes she has a burden to teach younger women what a real woman looks like and, with God’s help and everything she learns, she longs to teach.

In her blog entry titled “From Heroes to Monsters????” she writes:

“Unjustifiable, Mr Phil. The PTSD community has exhausted itself in the last ten years trying to put civilians at ease and help veterans get jobs, and now… thanks to you, we’re ten steps backwards in that endeavor. Yeah, PTSD itself can be a HUGE burden and feel monstrous, but the people? Um… NO. They’re not monsters. Injured, but not monsters.”

I think you get the picture, right?

As a wife of a 100% PTSD rated combat veteran, I took exceptional offense to his ratings-driven method in which to profit off of those who are suffering with the symptoms and stigma of PTSD. I was also incredibly alarmed at the advice found with the only resource recommended for viewers seeking help with PTSD.

The show introduced Dr. Frank Lawlis, chairman of the Dr. Phil’s PTSD Advisory Board and author of The PTSD Breakthrough.  Normally I would link to the book itself to cite my source, but in this case I don’t dare direct anyone to it because it is just that bad.

In Dr. Lawlis’s book, he claims his PTSD treatment recommendations are “science-based.” There is a little bit of science in the book, but he doesn’t provide references, and most of what he writes is not supported by any peer-reviewed studies. Much of it is pure fantasy.

He states the obvious by pointing out that someone who suffers from PTSD needs plenty of sleep, fresh air, and a healthy, vitamin-enriched diet. However, the book continues into dangerous territory by recommending a combat veteran with PTSD go on a vision quest, much like American Indians used to do. Vision quests require spending 7 days alone with no intake but water until a symbol appears in your consciousness.  If that advice wasn’t dangerous enough, Dr. Lawlis also goes into advice bordering on the absurd.

In his book he claims the use of chewing gum and mouthwash are critical to the recovery process.

He says:

…the research on chewing gum to relieve stress is pretty impressive. The act of chewing gum pumps healing blood into the frontal lobe, where executive functions are controlled, and into your temporal lobe, where stressful emotions are found. There is clear evidence that stress is reduced by as much as 50 percent by chewing gum, and you may gain some IQ points while you’re at it.

Not seeing any of these studies cited in his book, I went looking for these studies myself. I did find some studies showing chewing gum reduces stress, like this one funded by a gum manufacturer, but I wouldn’t characterize the research as “clear evidence” or “50%” or “increasing the IQ” or as “pretty impressive.”

Now I am not a doctor, nor do I pretend to play one on TV like Dr. Phil does (Debbie Stanley linked in her blog to Dr. Paul G. Mattiuzzi (who is a licensed psychologist) who wrote a detailed blog post explaining why McGraw is able to do what he does on TV without a license) but I DO know enough to know that chewing gum also increases blood pressure, a greater health risk in the end.  And let’s compound the issue by noting some types of chewing gum contain artificial sweeteners, which also increases blood pressure.

I may know these things due to my love for research and fact-finding, but unfortunately people with cognitive disabilities due to PTSD or TBI probably won’t.

So much for expert advice, eh?

Here is another one of his “science based” recommendations:

…Another easy technique you can do is to use a powerful mouth rinse. If you have bacteria working in your gums, it can create bad results for the rest of your body. Anything you eat can be affected by this [sic] bacteria, and you don’t want any bad guys holding up the train to recovery.

Oh, yes…let’s just share one more example.  Here’s a doozy regarding light therapy for brain injuries.

He claims the path to a cure for brain injuries is as simple as plugging in a light bulb.

“All you have to do is go down to your friendly hardware store and buy a 25 or 40 watt blue light bulb and plug it into a lamp. Have your blue light in your room for about ten to fifteen minutes and you are tuning your brain for the day.”

He also recommends treatment for PTSD by having a colon cleanse, breathing through alternate nostrils, beating drums to find your “power song”, picking an animal to symbolize you and decide which color best represents you (among other Twilight Zone tactics.)

What thee fuck, people?  The man is a quack as far as I am concerned!

Veterans already have difficulty finding or accepting help due to their diagnosis and symptoms of PTSD. The stigma makes it even harder to get treatment, obtain affordable and stable housing, find employment or explore options for other community services. The label of “monster” just further complicates matters in a world of civilians who fear the pumped-up media image of people who suffer from war-related PTSD. Caregivers also have a tough time combating the stigma, especially when they are the ones who usually fight the hardest for their veteran’s care and benefits.

PTSD is a difficult condition to treat, and offering hope for recovery is actually a good thing. However, offering false hopes for untested treatments under the pretense that they are “science” is reprehensible. The heartbreaking thing is that suffering patients may delay getting professional help while they experiment with useless detoxification rituals, chewing gum, and pop psychology nonsense.

Here’s my final thought on this issue, as written on my Facebook page:

He gets kudos for outlining the struggles, but I am furious he used the word “Monsters” to describe our nation’s heroes in order to gain ratings, thus adding more of a stigma to those with PTSD. As a clinician, he knows better. I just wish Dr. Phil would get his head out of his @$$ and not do more harm than good.

Clearly, the wounded warrior community deserves much more than what they received today through the two so-called Doctor Experts on the Dr. Phil Show.  And, as Phil McGraw said in his program, “Most people don’t get it.”  Well said, Mr. Phil.  You clearly don’t get it.

I responded to the show with my own video outlining my thoughts regarding the disservice this episode brings to the military community and to viewers across America, as seen here on YouTube.

Dr. Phil, you owe our American heroes an apology. We figured it’s the least you could do.

Do you agree or disagree with Dr. Phil’s title for the show?  Do you feel he should apologize to the public for his choice of words?  Do you want to tell CBS and Dr. Phil’s sponsors how you feel?  (You can find the contact list here)  If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.  I’d love to see what you have to say!

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