February 20, 2013
As Mindy McCready marks the FIFTH ‘Celebrity Rehab’ cast member to die, an expert calls the show a ‘farce as a foundation for treatment’
Since Mindy McCready’s death from apparent suicide on Sunday night, attention has turned to Dr. Drew Pinsky’s VH1 reality show “Celebrity Rehab”, after it emerged that she was the fifth member to die after supposedly being treated on the show.
“I think “Dr” Drew Pinsky should change his name to Kevorkian. Same results.” singer Richard Marx wrote on his Twitter page.
After receiving some backlash, Marx amended his claim: “I went too far with the Kevorkian crack. It is, however, my opinion that what Dr. D does is exploitation and his TV track record is not good.”
Sar far, Rodney King died in 2012 after drowning in his swimming pool. King’s autopsy revealed he had a mixture of cocaine, alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time, which contributed to his death. And Grease actor Jeff Conaway, who was a participant in season one and two, died in 2011 of health complications he apparently contracted from years of substance abuse.
On the season in which McCready appeared, two other people succumbed to their addictions. Mike Starr, bassist of the band Alice in Chains, died in 2011 after a drug overdose, and former “Real World” cast member Joey Kovar died in 2012 from opiate intoxication, believed to be in the form of a prescription painkiller he was taking.
With the total number of five people, who were part of the television show, ending up dead as a result of their addictions in the last two years, the backlash is understandable.
It seems that Dr. Pinsky’s rehab treatment on his TV show, which many professionals deem damaging and more for entertainment purposes than actual treatment only benefits the doctor, the production and the network.
Richard Taite, CEO of Cliffside Malibu Treatment Center is at pains to point out that rehab treatment for entertainment purposes is wrong, as it does damage to already damaged people.
“Mindy McCready’s death is certainly a tragedy and one that was perhaps preventable if she had gotten real treatment,” says Richard Taite, co-author of the best selling book, Ending Addiction For Good. “Celebrity Rehab is a farce as a foundation for treatment. It is at best info-tainment – a television show that exploits the fragility of individuals who are in desperate need of help. Recovery does not happen in twenty-one days for individuals suffering profoundly from multiple disorders, such as Mindy McCready, and it does not occur under the view of millions of television viewers. One of the main needs any addict has is to develop a sincere, trusting relationship with a therapist and privately uncover the root causes of their addiction. This does not happen in a television show where addicts are part of a ‘cast’ and followed by television cameras 24 hours a day everywhere but in the bathroom! Those who suffer from depression, suicidal ideation, and addiction need long-term, private support in a safe environment. It is tragic that Ms. McCready did not receive that level of care.”
Dr. Drew, for his part, said he contacted McCready last month after her boyfriend’s death.
“When I heard she was struggling, I did reach out to her and urged her to go to take care of herself, get in a facility if she felt she needed,” he said. “Her biggest fear was the stigma of doing so and what people would think if she, God forbid, took care of herself. And this to me is the most distressing part of this story. She is a lovely woman, we have lost her, and it didn’t have to go down like this.”
What do you think? Should the show be pulled given people’s health and life are at stake?
