Weiner Diagnosis?

 

In Shrink Rapper world, we get a lot of email from publicists about books, TV spots, upcoming events.  This was in my spam box today:

Rep Anthony Weiner is expected to resign today after weeks of scandal surrounding his lewd text messages, tweets and photos.  Even in his tearful media conference, Weiner could not explain why he participated in such behavior.  According to NYU Medical Professor and Internist, Dr. Marc Siegel, the congressman’s behavior is systemic of a larger psychological problem, which must be addressed before fixing the addiction to online sexual activities.  

 

Dr. Siegel says, “This seems to be an example of extreme narcissism, inflated self image, depersonalization, loss of contact with reality, addiction, and the power of the Internet as a medium (like the Wizard of Oz you feel you are hiding behind the curtain)”.

 

To discuss the dangers of addiction and steps to overcome the serious illness, Dr. Siegel is available to offer is medical knowledge.  As a medical practitioner and FOX’s House Doctor, Dr. Siegel has spent years diagnosing and treating people in the national media spotlight.

 

If you are interested in speaking with Dr. Siegel, please contact me at .

 

Best,

Rena  

 

Rena Resnick

5W Public Relations

Oh my, I thought.  I read it twice. An internist is going to comment on Anthony Weiner's narcissism, motivations, sense of self, and contact with reality?   Sounds like a shrinky thing to me, but the Goldwater Rule prohibits psychiatrists from commenting on the mental state and diagnosis of someone they haven't personally examined.  Does that mean it's okay for other specialists to talk about the mental state of someone they don't know?  Hmmm...   I guess we'll see what he has to say, but I'm not so sure about this.

In Treatment: Season 2, Mia's Sex Life & April's Cancer Treatment

Mia bursts in with breakfast and charges into Paul's kitchen despite his objections. She talks quickly and tells of her sexual escapades over the weekend. No sleep, she's drinking a lot, has acrobatic sex with a young band member and then David the cop, a guy she met at a bar. Paul wants to return to the office and Mia says, suggestively, "So you want me on the couch?" I'm wondering how safe Paul is alone with her.

Mia talks about her relationships with men, it moves back to her relationship with her father. "I'm 43 and I'm entirely alone. Who do I have in my life-- You?" She talks about her loneliness.

I guess I'm wondering if Mia has untreated bipolar disorder? --She's gone days without sleeping, she's intrusive, talks rapidly, promiscuous, maybe hypersexual, and her mood is labile. Paul looks at her behavior from a psychodynamic perspective only, and I'll wonder if there isn't something biologically driven to it all.
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April is back, she hasn't told her mom she has cancer and she hasn't gotten any treatment. She's sick, she's tired. Her autistic brother, Daniel, tried to commit suicide, again. She talks about Daniel. April thinks she's depressed. They talk about this and Paul tells April when she feels badly, she should call him, any time of day or night.

April sounds like the neglected child, her mom "gets overwhelmed, she needs to vent." April sounds hopeless about Daniel's prognosis. Paul points out that April will eventually be responsible for caring for Daniel, a burden she clearly doesn't want, but oops, she may be dead long before such a day arrives.

Paul wants to talk about chemo but Daniel calls and April needs to go get him. She faints in Paul's office. Paul gets angry, he screams at her. She tells Paul, "It's okay that you can't handle this, you panicked." They scream and shout at each other. The phone rings, it's April's mother, April stands up to her and says she can't go get Daniel, and mom hangs up on her.

They run over on time, April keeps pointing this out and Paul keeps saying there is more time. "What if I come with you to the hospital?"
"Would you? Now?"
"Yes, now."
He leaves with her and shuts out the lights.

The episode is advertised in it's TiVo'd blurb as Paul crosses a boundary. I thought the boundary was screaming at the patient. But he leaves with her, takes her to negotiate cancer care.
Paul is portrayed as human, he's frustrated and feels helpless. His patient is a ticking bomb. She's destined to die if she doesn't get care now (oh, and maybe even if she does). So off to the hospital they go. Yes, I think it's the 'right' thing to do, or at least I don't think it's 'wrong.' What do you think? Yes, Clink, I know it's a TV show.

When Love is Not Enough.

In my post on Changes.... Novalis writes:

"And what do we mean when we say that someone "could" change if they only "would?" In some alternative universe? If they were us? It may be more reasonable to think that someone can change when they, in fact, do change, and not before then. In that sense we only know reality after the fact."

So, in yet another NY Times piece:
Modern Love Facing My Obsession, in the Flesh By BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS
Published: January 2, 2009, Denizet-Lewis writes in a poignant way about his struggles to resist sexual impulses to connect with strangers:
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But pride is no match for addiction. This morning I’d resolved to break my habit, to make the day different. I knew I needed to get some work done before heading to a childhood friend’s wedding later in the day. No time for sex! But as I sat at my desk, a thought occurred: “If I am not going to have sex today, I should take care of business now.” I decided to look at pornography online for 15 minutes (20 minutes max). An hour into that, I got an e-mail message from Mike saying he wanted to meet. I decided to skip the wedding.
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Denizet-Louis goes on to write:
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As I sped home, I wanted to cry. What was happening to me? Why couldn’t I stop chasing sex, no matter the consequences? To make myself feel better, I called Mike. He answered, offered a convoluted excuse involving flat tires and dead cellphone batteries, and then we had phone sex. When we were done, I considered driving my car off a cliff.

TO much of the general public, sex addiction is a punch line, a pop-psychology diagnosis or an attempt to explain away recklessness and perversion. But my sex addiction is unfortunately very real; it has cost me a job, romantic relationships, friendships and, on many days, my sanity and self-respect. I have checked myself into inpatient sex-addiction treatment centers twice. I have set up Internet blocking software — the kind designed for children — on my computer, only to buy another computer when the urge to go into chat rooms became too strong.
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Sometimes it seems easy enough to say "if you don't like your life, change it." Sometimes it's hard to appreciate just how difficult that can be.

Sex With Fish, Revisited

Some fish are Journey fish. Some fish are Destination fish. Some fish taste good. Most fish don't have sex and I'm not sure what to say about the fishy version of inter-fish intimacy. Generally, people do not have sex with fish, but I suppose to each his own.

Why is Dinah rambling?

Okay, so every Monday, we get a report of our site visits, our referral sources, a map of the country with shades of green depicting how many readers from how many states: Thank you, California, where the most Shrink Rap readers hail from. We usually have readers from every state, though some weeks, no one visits from South Dakota or Montana or somewhere around there.

We know what people Google that gets them to us. 'Shrink Rap' is one thing. But week after week, for years now, every report lists "Sex with Fish" as one of the top five most Googled terms for a referral to Shrink Rap. Every week. I now look for it. I've Googled "sex with fish." I don't get it. Reef-fish change sex (although I think this might mean gender, so any Reef Fish visiting Shrink Rap should please check off "In Transition" on our Gender Poll on the side bar.

I just thought I'd welcome anyone who was here looking for Sex With Fish. You've found the right place.