New Pilot on Fox: Mental

bluedot · Joined: 15 May 2009 Posts: 2

Within moments, stereotypical negative depiction of mental illness. http://www.hulu.com/watch/74595/mental-pilot

Check it out.

bluedot · Joined: 15 May 2009 Posts: 2

Wow. I am watching the full length segment. The new chief psychiatrist recommends non-psychiatric meds and homeopathic treatment for a Schizophrenic patient... A must see. I'm only 30 minutes in... this is actually amazing.

Ecatcher12 · Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 1949

Hey I started a dialogue of this show on Open Dialogue: http://theicarusproject.net/fo.....hp?t=15314

I finally saw it and actually loved it. Wished there were actual pdoc's like the main character. I saw it with my roommate and it opened up a whole new level of dialogue and I wish so many other people would see it. I like how he is always focused on the patient. I am a behavioral therapist for kids with autism and I want people at my work to see this show to see how the patient comes first!

Erin

Ratatosk · Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 4

bluedot, thanks for the heads-up. I have not had commercial TV feed to my house since 1996 (very therapeutic), but I can watch on hulu.

Fox News has a very Right-wing Republican/Christian slant, so I do not know if network agendas may eventually poison the show's premise of pdocs thinking outside conventional big pharma/old school pdoc skulldiggery for better methods of coping or healing.

Just saw the whole pilot (thanks for the link!) and I really liked it, I did not feel "used"!

aztone · Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 467 Location: Aridzona

Ratatosk · Joined: 11 May 2009 Posts: 4

Thanks for the enlightenment Aztone, since I have no realtime TV feed, therefore no "regularly scheduled programming" I am unwise in the way of such things!

Inel · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 3429

we interrupt the regularly scheduled program to...

WELCOME RATATOSK!

WELCOME BLUEDOT!

glad y'all are here.

z00110100 · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 408

At first, slightly into the Pilot, I was thinking it was going to be really bad and negative, but all in all, it was 'refreshing,' I guess, compared to all the terrible stigma attached to many shows like this. Pretty good, eh? I wonder if a craxy or a craxy's relative helped write it.

kimbriel · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 238

Well, I didn't like the 2nd episode all that much. I would say why, but it would probably piss a lot of people off... anyway, I decided if I ever go psychotic again, I'm going to fly down to LA to be treated by the actor who PLAYS A PSYCHIATRIST on TV. Honestly, he would help me out so much more than the real deal. I watched an interview with the actor, and I was so impressed with what he had to say.

aztone · Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 467 Location: Aridzona

kimbriel · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 238

I've been psychotic before... and I just don't think it's a good idea to put a sharp surgical tool in the hands of someone who's psychotic... I know that people with mental illness are no more dangerous than the general population (who, if you ask me, is not really "mentally healthy" anyway)... but this guy had already punched Dr. Gallagher in the mouth. I know he's alternative, but that goes a bit far.

aztone · Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 467 Location: Aridzona

kimbriel · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 238

Well my worry is, that it's so far over the top, that people won't take the "viable alternatives" seriously. Also, this is the 2nd episode where someone with a mental illness was violent. The first what the person with sz who was throwing chairs and tables. This one, the person with a psychotic delusion NOS, punches a doctor in the mouth. I know it makes for interesting TV, but it is linking mental illness with violence, so far. In reality, people in the hospital are very quiet, and just raging in their own little worlds. It would be nice to see reality reflected in the content of the mental ward, with the alternative doc still there...

Also, it irked me during the foot race, that all the doctors were thin and attractive, whereas all the mental patients were overweight, unattractive etc. I know, how are we supposed to tell if someone is mentally ill if they are also thin and attractive? *rolls eyes*

z00110100 · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 408

I agree with kimbriel on this one, the second episode was very violent. It was certainly interesting, though, which is the point of television shows, so I hope the next one is less violent, to cut the stereotype. They could have some normal looking people with problems, which can certainly be intriguing. It's like seeing just a hard working business man, who blows people's minds because he isn't perfect. Oh well, I'm not the writer, and even though the show has its problems, it won't stop me from seeing what happens next, in hopeful anticipation that this is good publicity.

kimbriel · Joined: 12 Oct 2008 Posts: 238

Okay, I'm no longer watching this show. Last week they had a bipolar kid on it. Okay, fine, a dx that is so controversial it's not even in the DSM, which pathologizes EVERYTHING.

But the kicker is-- they dx'ed the kid partially with A BRAIN SCAN. Um, yeah, there's no way to dx a bipolar brain from a scan. VERY IRRESPONSIBLE and gives more scientific cred to psychiatry than it deserves.