oooh look at how cute London is!!!

If he wanted to help her, he wouldn't have made it a public issue.

He pulled the episode because he got flack, plain and simple. People saw right through his transparent "I want to help" excuse and saw him for what he was: a publicity wh*re. Get over yourself, Dr Phil.

"If he wanted to help her, he wouldn't have made it a public issue."
true.

Yet again I agree with Greggie

Yes, supposedly he's a family friend, but he should have never attempted to have her on his show...isn't her being overexposed a problem for her already??? It just doesn't add up, he could have helped her more privately. The show should never have been brought up.

i dont think so..and like greggie said "If he wanted to help her, he wouldn't have made it a public issue."

Don't we all want to help Britney. Dr. Phil might have the training to actually do it...but I am sure that he saw a big boost for his career if he could be the one to "save" Britney.

dont trust him brit he's fake..............

I CAN'T STAND DR. PHIL HIS VOICE IS LIKE NAILS ON A CHART BOARD

I'd be willing to bet that Dr Phil's on the side of "she's overexposed, give her privacy" and yet he planned on exploiting her for his own gain.

Stellar psychiatric skills, Doc.

He's an ass! If he were really a friend of the family, he would have never spoken out or even considered doing a show on her. Geez!

He is a highly trained mental health professional. Oh wait...

What are his credentials anyway? Is he actually licensed, or is his first name just "Dr"?

I have watched his show a couple of times, and it always seems like he is more interested in the camera angels and when the commercial breaks are then the people he is supposed to help. I don't think he is that sincere at all. I think he is all about the ratings. Not to say that at one point he didn't want to help people. I think just now he is all about the $$. Sad.

No...he just wanted everyone to watch the show and see how much of a mess stardom can make you

I really don't want to think the worst of Dr. Phil, but like anything Britney associated, doesn't make him look good, and yet again, somebody else looks to be "victimizing" this lame excuse for a Homo Erectus!!!...besides, why is the media trying to take its "Sauron-like" eye off the true Britney Spears exploiter...Britney "SHE BLOWS" Spears!!!

Here is what I found on Wikipedia...

McGraw was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, the son of Jerry (née Stevens) and Joe McGraw.[2] He grew up in the oilfields of North Texas, where his father was an equipment supplier. During McGraw's childhood, his family moved so his father could pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a psychologist. McGraw attended Shawnee Mission North High School in Mission, Kansas. He was awarded a football scholarship to attend the University of Tulsa, but was injured and transferred to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. McGraw graduated from the Midwestern State University in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. He went on to earn a master's degree in experimental psychology, and a Ph.D in clinical psychology at the University of North Texas, where his dissertation was titled "Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Psychological Intervention." He also participated in the swimming programs at the two schools.[3]

Suspension of License to Practice
The Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists imposed disciplinary sanctions on McGraw on January 27, 1989 for an inappropriate "dual relationship" reported in 1988 by a therapy client/employee from 1984. McGraw was ordered by the Board to take an ethics class, pass a jurisprudence exam, complete a physical evaluation, undergo a psychological evaluation and have his practice supervised for one year in order to continue his private practice in Texas. McGraw admits to giving the client a "job" at his office (which is not allowed), but denied carrying on a sexual relationship with the 19 year old, who says their relationship was "sexually inappropriate."[7][2][8] As of 2008, McGraw is still not licensed to practice psychology.

Psychological approach
His technique, which differs considerably from traditional psychology, has been criticized by those inside and outside the profession. McGraw's critics regard advice given by him to be at best simplistic, and at worst, invective.[9]

McGraw has said he never liked traditional counseling and was awkward in one-on-one situations.[10] In Psychology Today journalist Pamela Paul writes that McGraw "knows what's best and he's not afraid to tell you. Dr. Phil issues counsel as marching orders."[11] McGraw himself admits that "I'm not the Hush-Puppies, pipe and `Let's talk about your mother' kind of psychologist."[10]

So he's not even freaking licensed to practice psychology. Wonderful

Well, he at least has a PhD.

Oprah's always picking winners...Iyanla anyone?

Another reason to hate Oprah. She gave us "Dr" Phil.

I'm glad he openly admits he sucks at one-on-one therapy.

PhD = Publicity Huggin' Degree....had to "hip hop" it up with the "huggin'"!!!

YIKES.

So Dr Phil, you wanted to "help" Britney. How's that workin' out for ya?

He thought this would've been the opportunity for him to write another book and split the earnings with Mama Spears!!!

Common Psychological Sense 101...you can't "help" those that don't want "help"..."Dr." Phil is failing in his own field.

How Sick is he??? A Poor girl's life is not a way to get publicity you idi*t

rosa..he wanted to be part of the action to..damn. if brit cant even help herself..what makes phil thinks he can

I hate it when the "yes" votes hide out rather than defend their position.

There should be a rule that your vote is only counted if you post to back it up. Hmph.

He's an idiot. Is he even a real doctor? If he was really a "true friend", he would have guarded her privacy rather than smearing it all over the place.

We always called PhD - Piled Higher and Deeper (As BS is BullSh*t, MS is More Sh*t).
So he doesn't even have a license, wow, I heard that somewhere before. And if the Popwreck is really bi-polar, then medication is needed, and PhD's cannot prescribe medications...only the MD's.
I agree this was Lynn Spears and Phil's way of making more money. You notice when it first came out, they were trying to say it was the father, Jamie, that requested Dr. Phil. But, as we all know now it was Lynn. Guess she will not make enough money from her knocked up 16 year old!

He doesn't want to help her or anyone (audience members sign a notorious release stating that they aren't mentally ill or on meds to be in his audience and that the show is PURELY for entertainment purposes and that the advice isn't accredited-the release is on Smoking Gun).

And "Dr." Phil should really be licensed by the state by of California before calls himself a doctor here plus he lost his license was suspended in Texas. And he has never asked to have the suspension lifted.

if people want to 'help' britney they need to stop giving her so much attention - she FEEDS off of it.

I agree with Greggie-- had he actually wanted to help, he wouldn't have made a statement to the press immediately after he left the hospital.

Come on now - he's a scammer, and the man cannot be taken seriously. He still isn't even licensed to practice psychology! I could train a monkey to tell people how to live their lives better than he does, and I believe the only reason he is getting involved in the whole situation is to raise the ratings on his own obnoxious talk show.
Her prior counselors have failed to help her out, maybe even instigated her problems, and I highly highly doubt that "Dr" Phil will be able to accomplish anything more.

Dr. Phil is a jerk.
Woop posted this from Lainey earlier, and I agree so I am going to re-post it:

Multiple sources have revealed that Britney is inherently selfish and manipulative – beyond any emotional problems. Manipulative to the point where she understands her own media influence and selfsh to the point where she does not want to mother her own children. The automatic reaction to that is: well a woman must be crazy if she doesn’t want to raise her own kids. Can’t she be just a b*tch?
Crazy people can still be bad people. With bad motives and bad intentions.

The question is: Is Britney crazy and misunderstood? Or is Britney crazy and selfish and deplorable?

The few of you who’ve declared sad smut have deemed her worthy of sympathy. Totally cool. What I’m saying is I’ve yet to decide.

DOCTOR Phil has the audacity to call himself Doctor? Bwahahahaha! Has he ever heard of HIPA? This is FEDERAL LAW protecting the privacy of patients. If he were truly a doctor who was truly helping someone, it would be correct for him to REFRAIN from admitting to treating someone or saying ANYTHING about their treatment needs, diagnoses, etc. HOW DARE HE SAY ONE WORD about Britney Spears medical or psychological situation? SHE SHOULD SUE HIS SORRY you-know-what. I am so disgusted with his flapping his mouth about Britney. Doesn't she have enough problems and enough people trying to exploit her? Please someone make Dr. Phil shut his pie hole.

you dont have to be a psychologist to help someone, or to counsil them.

That being said, he should know better than to stick his bald head into this mess.

I think he just wants attention since his show is going no where and people find him annoying

Maybe, but he's a business man and its his job to talk to people like her so how could it be 100% selfless.

I think that Marci nailed it, when she said that all of this Britney "Attention" has certainly taken the public heat off of Jamie Lynn, hasn't it? Perhaps that was the plan all along, since she was released within 24 hours and didn't stay for an evaluation as would normally be the case in a 5150 sitch.

??

He might have wanted to help some...but i dont think he really knew what he was going up against...walking in on Britney like that. I'm surprised she didnt grab the nearest IV pole and try taking a whack at his bald head.

Here her family is trying to get on her good side again(if she has one) and they bring in Dr Whacko....Nice job Lynne...way to go!!

So, is "Phil" NOT a doctor because his license was revoked, or because he never had one?
Doesn't having a PHD allow you to be called doctor, no matter the subject?
I'm confused.

He may have wanted to help but he also knows millions of people would have tuned in to watch that episode!

i think that he just wants ratings - and there's just so many conflicting stories about what he was doing at the hospital. you wonder why brit was irate when he was there - i would be too. he seems self serving after the whole oprah relationship

I'm not a huge Dr. Phil fan and I don't know if I have ever seen his show (cuz I work full time) but to play devil's advocate, you don't have to have a million degrees on the wall to help some people. However, in Britney's situation, she needs professional medical help that goes beyond a couple of counseling sessions.

Er, I think on some human level he wanted to help especially if her family asked him to go there. Most likely he saw "ratings" written all over it. I could also imagine that he probably walked up into that hospital like John Wayne thinking he was gonna get her to see the light. Big head.

I don't think people with PHd's should be allowed to be called Dr. Everyone knows when Dr. is in front of a name that Medical Doctor is usually presumed.

Like Dr. Donda West, or Dr. Martin L. King. What purpose does it fill other than saying "look at me, I went to school longer than I had to." It's great that they have furthered their education but to be called "DR" I think is wrong.

I've worked with some people who had masters of psychology and were making a little more than minimum wage. My husband has a masters in telecommunications and it has nothing to do with what he makes a living doing.

If you're good at something then great, but it may or may not be what you went to school for. I agree with Dr. Phil in that traditional psychiatrist (which ARE MDs) and psychologist (which are NOT MD's) are for the most part NOT as effective as they should be.

I think taking Britney out of the lime light, taking away her cash, her popularity, her fame, her hanger ons, and showing her real people living in sqaullor and actually being there and witnessing death, would do more for her than talking with Dr. Phil.

When I first became a hospice nurse, actually being there and talking/getting to know/and laughing with a Patient one day and holding their hand as they died (alone with no family) the next, is what made me realize how precious life is and has changed me as a parent and human being for ever.

*Doesn't having a PHD allow you to be called doctor, no matter the subject? *

Yes, you can be called a doctor of political science, English, Engineering, etc. if you have a PhD.

But even his PhD in psychology didn't make him a medical doctor. More like a counselor who went to school for a long time. But without a license to practice, he can't even do that.

Wow, spitfire. I have a lot of respect for those that work in Hospice. My aunt started a center, and unfortunately, some of my family members have needed Hospice recently. You must be a very strong person.

I am sure the many people that you have helped in life's most tragic moments have appreciated you! Thanks for helping people walk that road.

you don't have to have any schooling to know how to act. My great grandmother had no education, but more morals than anyone I knew. She was wise and made every decision she made with putting the ones she loved first. She wasn't selfish and wasn't so shallow that she needed to take credit for anything just to feel good about herself. If we picked flowers or drew her a picture it meant more to her than anything in this world. Britney was raised thinkng she was better than everyone else and now it had back fired on her. Regular people know how to cope with life, she doesn't.