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Actor Charlie Sheen has been battling the producers of “Two and a Half Men’’ as well as his own demons. (Associated Press) |
THE PLIGHT of Charlie Sheen, the highest-paid TV star in the country, has been exploited by what Sheen himself has called a “tsunami of media.’’ Despite the fact that several well-known TV psychiatrists and academic mental health specialists have described Sheen’s condition as manic, he has become a media spectacle. His tragic and out-of-control behavior is the subject of commentary and jokes on such shows as “Entertainment Tonight’’ and “Extra.’’ His portrayal on the “Today Show’’ was deplorable. There, his urine and blood specimens were taken on camera and tested by so-called medical professionals in white coats.
The media make the excuse that Sheen is volunteering to participate in these publicity schemes, but that is unacceptable, since he apparently is not competent to make decisions on his own behalf. Institutions such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Human Rights Watch should advocate on behalf of this person who clearly seems mentally ill.
As a psychiatrist who for the past 40 years has advocated for the rights of the mentally ill, I strongly object to such acts of exploitation and abuse. They vilify the mentally ill and create a negative public opinion of mental illness.
Dr. Farrokh Khajavi
Stoneham 
© Copyright 2011 Globe Newspaper Company.
