Following my post criticizing the distasteful opportunism displayed by Dr. Phil — who used a visit to Britney Spears in hospital to promote his own TV show — today's news that Britney's family say Dr. "Tough Love" crossed the line leads me to wonder if Dr. Phil is guilty of more than opportunism. Did he also breach patient confidentiality that medical professionals are expected to uphold?
A spokesman for Britney's mother is quoted today saying "The [Spears] family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements. Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, (is) just inappropriate."
Certainly "inappropriate" is a useful word to describe Dr. Phil's actions. The question that must now be asked of Dr. Phil is whether he is guilty of professional misconduct in this sad affair that has all the appearance of a daytime talk show host putting his own ambitions ahead of the well-being of a troubled 26-year-old woman and her family who turned to him for help.
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