The Globe and Mail - Canada
... Sutz, who's been treated for bipolar disorder, informed a show representative
of his condition, and was told he could watch the taping if he didn't talk to ...
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040807/NOTE07-5/TPHealth/

That is just plain wrong.....not only violating Disabilty Act but it seams to me also Freedom of speech!!!! Or do we not have that right either??????

Hmmph. Are people with mental illnesses only allowed on stage, then? (I'm looking at you, Dr. P. ;) )

That's bonkers...I mean, there must be something behind it...I dunno ackorama

I assume, that by having them sign it, they can't sue him later for giving his advise.

They could just have people sign a waiver, if that's the case. I have to say, this isn't very becoming behavior for a person in his field.

I imagine the waiver is an attempt to keep some types of people, who might disrupt the taping of the show, out of the audience - or give the producers some backup if they are sued for asking someone to leave.
A bit much asking what they did of someone bi-polar, but I think that it's again an attempt to cover their asses if the guy tried to disrupt the show and they had to ask him to leave - I do imagine that lots of unstable people (& activists) try to get themselves on TV, or try to talk to Dr Phil, by getting themselves into the audience. In fact, I wonder if the activist was there specifically to do something like this - it's certainly got him a lot of press so far - and there is nothing an activist likes better than attention from the press!
I'm not defending the shows actions - just trying to think like the show's producer, who's job is to get a good show shot on time, etc.
After all, Dr Phil's show is entertainment - it's not a therapy session or a public forum to air complaints about the mental health system - so I'd expect that a mental health activist in the audience would be about as popular as a snake at a garden party - and since the studio is private property, I don't think that they've done anything illegal or violated any rights to free speach - you could ask someone to leave a dinner party if they started saying things that disrupted the party of offended other guests?

You're absolutely right, of course, Greg. It's just hard for me to pass up a chance at bashing Dr. Phil! :D

I may have said this before but Dr. Phil doesn't refer to himself as a psychologist. I don't know whether he's licensed or not but I tend to doubt it. If he did call himself a psychologist I think he'd probably get kicked out of APA; assuming he belonged.It also kills me to see a "psychologist/therapist's face on a protein/candy bar...lol. There's just something wrong with that.

I've got one of his books right here in front of me...and his full name is Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D

Ph.D must stand for something else then

Putz has. Dootness syndrome

Whatever he has a PhD in may not be related to psychology, though. "Dr." Laura has a degree in physiology! And I believe that Dr. John Gray got his degree by mail. So we have to be suspicious of self-proclaimed "experts."

http://www.bevsbest.com/Authors-Books-2/Phillip-C-McGraw/Author-Phillip-C-McGraw.htm
"Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D., author of the New York Times bestseller Life Strategies, has worked in the field of human functioning and strategic life planning for over twenty years.

He is the co-founder and president of Courtroom Sciences, Inc., and has been associated with some of the highest-profile litigation cases in the country, including Oprah's highly publicized "mad cow" suit.

A professional psychologist, he appears regularly on Oprah as her resident expert on human functioning. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Phillip C. McGraw is the person Oprah credits with helping her win the Amarillo beef trial. He is a trial scientist with over fifteen years' experience in the psycho-legal system.

Having earned a Ph.D. degree in Behavioral Sciences, Dr. McGraw relies upon a broad base of academic and applied experiences in predicting, measuring and utilizing the value systems and decision-making patterns and processes of contemporary juries.

As President of Courtroom Sciences, Inc., Dr. McGraw leads a litigation consulting firm comprised of experts from the fields of psychology, law, biomedicine, medicine, engineering, business, computer sciences, communication, economics and finance.

Dr. McGraw has also trained thousands of people in effective life skills seminars, principally communications and relational management. He also conducts Texas and American Bar Association approved continuing education courses for lawyers (MCLE) in the area of trial science, particularly the forecasting and influence of civil trial verdicts."

http://thetrugroup.com/relationshiprescue.html
"Dr. Phillip McGraw has over 20 years experience in problem solving, human motivation and life strategies. He has shared his expertise as a private psychologist as well as a writer, educator and consultant to private corporations and various industries. He has also testified before Congress as a recognized expert on human functioning.
Dr. McGraw earned his doctorate degree in psychology from North Texas State University. In 1980 he founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc., a full-service trial sciences firm. As president of CSI, he has traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the Far East consulting with clients including Fortune 500 companies, major networks and airlines. He has also conducted seminars on life strategies and goal acquisition for tens of thousands of participants from the general public and corporate America."

http://www.superlaugh.com/1/drphil.htm
"Dr. Phil's Bio
Life Strategist Dr. Phillip C. Mcgraw hosts nationally syndicated series Dr. Phil. Known to millions as the human behavior expert from The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil is also a #1 New York Times best-selling author and co-founder of Courtroom Sciences, Inc., the world's leading litigation consulting firm. Drawing on 25 years of experience in psychology and human functioning, Dr. Phil deals with real issues in his signature "tell-it-like-it-is" style.

Dr. Phil and his three sisters grew up in Oklahoma and Texas, where their father worked as a salesman for an oil-equipment company and their mother was a homemaker. Dr. Phil was awarded a football scholarship to the University of Tulsa, and then finished his degree at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Later, he earned his doctorate in psychology at the University of North Texas. In 1979, Dr. Phil opened a practice with his father, who got his psychology degree at the age of 40.

After years of practicing, Dr. Phil realized that traditional therapy was not his calling. "From the very beginning, it wasn't for me. I didn't have the patience for it," he says.

In 1989, he co-founded Courtroom Sciences, Inc., a company that assists the legal profession by conducting mock trials, behavioral analysis, jury selection and mediation.

It was through CSI that Dr. Phil met Oprah Winfrey. In 1996, she was being sued by cattlemen who claimed she defamed the beef industry on one of her shows, and Oprah hired CSI to help with her case. Dr. Phil did just that in 1998, and soon after he became an expert on her show, dealing with life strategies and relationships.

The author of three New York Times bestsellers, Dr. Phil also conducts motivational seminars across America. He is currently working on his fourth book, which outlines strategies for weight management.

He has been married to his wife Robin for 26 years. They have two sons, 23-year-old Jay and 16-year-old Jordan. "

http://www.usatoday.com/life/2002-10-14-dr-phil-1acover_x.htm More there...