Confrontational Tom Cruise

By: Shannon Gossage

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has released a statement claiming Cruise is "behaving irresponsibly" after he slammed using drugs to help treat depression during an interview saying that anti-depressant drugs are a "pseudo science." The APA released a statement, "It was irresponsible for Mr. Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to promote his own ideological views…(and) deter people with mental illness from getting the help they need. Rigorous, published, peer-reviewed research clearly demonstrates that treatment (of mental illness) works. It is unfortunate that in the face of this remarkable scientific and clinical progress that a small number of individuals and groups persist in questioning its legitmacy."

Cruise first sparked the big controversy when he called Brooke Shields’ use of anti-depressants to cope with her post-partum depression "misguided" and basically insinuated that her career was over because of it. He suggested she could have cured her depression by taking vitamins. Shields initially shot back at the War of the Worlds star, but now thanks him for drawing attention to her book about post-natal depression. Cruise continued his rant against Shields’ method of dealing with her illness during an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show last week. Said Cruise, "She (Brooke) doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry. You don’t know the history of psychiatry. I do."

Does it seem weird to anyone else that the normally reserved Cruise is now all over the place sounding like a crazed lunatic? First his antics with the jumping on the couch during an interview with Oprah, his blatherings about new love Katie Holmes, and now his declarations of knowledge of post-natal depression. Seriously, it is starting to become somewhat creepy…almost like it really isn’t Tom Cruise at all. Who are you and what have you done with Tom Cruise? Maybe he should just take some vitamins and let them work their magic.