Dr. Phil interview with Shelly Duvall

Didn't watch it - not a fan of his or really TV in general.

Ronan Farrow made several tweets about it and he is definitely in the exploitation camp.

I read an article about her a few weeks ago and it was so sad. The assumption was mental illness IIRC?

I haven't watched yet. I record Dr. Phil and watch half the shows. I'm hoping it sheds a light on mental illness rather than just using her condition to sell toothpaste and soapsuds.

She has mental illness.  She retired several years ago to a small Texas town not far from where my mother lived and it was fairly common knowledge of her problem.  As far as I know, no one had ever exploited her like Dr. Phil.  
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He's disgraceful, I refuse to watch. Someone who struggles with mental illness isn't at fault for being exploited.

I rarely watch Dr. Phil, but heard about this interview. It makes me completely sick. I honestly cannot think how this is not exploitation of someone too sick to make good choices.

ick to Dr. Phil- this is from a website discussing the show:

"The star of “The Shining,” 67, who hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2002, struggled to string together more than a couple coherent words at a time, and bore little resemblance to the actress who appeared in a number of popular and critically acclaimed movies in the 1980s.

“I need to get the Bermuda Triangle off of me, because I do not want a hairy chest,” she said in one of her more lucid moments. “I’m not a Chia Pet.”

While Duvall appeared to be struggling with a serious mental illness, Dr. Phil (whose full name is Phil McGraw) spent the majority of the hour-long episode baiting her with questions before airing footage of her traveling to a care facility in California.

“We’ll make a deal that you’ll get checked out, and I’ll make a deal that they won’t murder you,” McGraw, 66, told Duvall.

At the end of the episode, McGraw informed viewers that Duvall had refused treatment before returning home to Texas. He added that the show was working with professionals in her home state to make sure she gets the care she needs, and promised to update viewers on her progress.

On Thursday, the show’s producers released a teaser of the interview, including a clip in which she said that she didn’t believe “Popeye” co-star Robin Williams was dead.

Promotional efforts were met with swift and near-unanimous condemnation. Vivian Kubrick, whose father directed Duvall in “The Shining,” called for a boycott of the show in a scathing statement:

“You are putting Shelley Duvall ‘on show’ while she is suffering from a pitiable state of ill health. Unquestionably, this is purely a form of lurid and exploitive entertainment — it’s appallingly cruel … I recoil in complete disgust. I hope others will join me in boycotting your utterly heartless form of entertainment, because it has nothing to do with compassionate healing.”

Ronan Farrow, the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, echoed Kubrick’s sentiments soon after on Twitter.

“Dr. Phil’s exploitation of the wonderful Shelley Duvall — masquerading as ‘powerful TV’ — is shameful. She’s a treasure. She deserves respect,” he tweeted

That's so sad, my dh and I were just talking about her because we watched the original Frankenweenie and I recognized her from the shining. Then he sent me a similar article yesterday. As for the person asking why she went on Dr Phil knowing that he's exploitative, I'm not sure she has enough mental faculties to know that and judge properly, it seems like he really exploited her mental illness. I didn't watch it but from what I've read it didn't sound like it was something she had a handle on

Maybe he agreed in the signing her on his show to get her mental health help? You come on the show, I ask you questions. I'll find a facility that can help you. He has money and connections so maybe he promised to get her help?

I saw the beginning and had to turn it off. Not only is he awful for doing this, but does she have handlers or caretakers that agreed to this? I am sure it is also edited very heavily, but that does not explain Dr. Phil away.

Doesnt he usually find help for these types of people?

This sounds absolutely, positively evil. I hope to hell there is some good reason for this, but I sure can't see one. I hope she gets the help she needs.

This. As someone with mental illness it upsets me greatly. There are ways he could have reached out to help her but putting her on air was absolutely unnecessary. What does the viewing public gain from this? Absolutely nothing. I hope to hell if I was in this state my loved ones would protect me from this type of exploitation.

First, I think it was wrong. I have no idea why he would do this to her. I get where you are coming from. Maybe a family member put her up to it. I meant no malice in my comment. He could have been a good guy and just set up for her to go to a clinic for treatment, but maybe he is only about himself. 

I hope you did not take my post negatively. I had an incident once in a manic state where I needed to go to the hospital and I was so ashamed on myself and my behavior that I felt the need to personally contact the nurse that assisted me and apologize to her. I guess I just see it from my perspective that I would feel totally violated to be filmed and broadcast to millions.