helped people fight drug addictions through his controversial Scientology religion and knows the best way to treat post-partum depression
Give me a fucking break! According to the all-knowing Tom, Brooke Shields was "misguided" when she decided to take Paxil for her PPD. All she really needed was Scientology, exercise, and vitamins. This sounds eerily familiar to my favorite crazy doctor (that doesn't issue medical advice), W. David Hager, who suggests doctors treat PPD this way:
"Lend a compassionate heart and a listening ear, and pray with her!"
"Praise her for being a mother and a part of God's plan of creation."
"This is a wonderful time to minister to a suffering mom and to her husband and family. Remind them that in John 20:19, Jesus came through the bolted doors and said, Peace be with you."
In defense of all of this seemingly misguided advice, I will say that if you are a religious/spiritual person turning to your faith in difficult times is all well and good. Studies suggest that it works and if it makes you feel better, then there is certainly no harm done.
What infuriates me about Tom Cruise, M.D. is the fact that he has no clue what it is like to have PPD. Even if he has a partner with PPD, he will still have no true idea about what it is like to have such a problem. Sure, he would know what it was like to live with someone with PPD, but to me that is tantamount to a man knowing what childbirth is like because he got someone pregnant. As of now, it is biologically impossible for Tom Cruise, or any man, to become pregnant, have a baby, and suffer PPD; therefore men should refrain from offering advice to women on how to deal with such issues.
I don't tell men how to deal with their prostates, so please don't tell me how to deal with my female reproductive system. Additionally, I am certain that if men did have to deal with PPD, they wouldn't simply pray and exercise. No, then there would be millions of dollars poured into treatment and it would be covered by insurance.
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