PhD/PsyD Just a thread to post the weirdest/whackiest/dumbest mental health-related stuff you come across in the (social) media...

[EnPsychlopedia]

Someone in a Reddit thread posted this link of a video of George Bonnano talking with the YouTuber Doctor Mike. I much enjoyed it (but it is long):

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[quickpsych]

I stumbled upon some psychiatrist named Dr. Amen on social media… he pushes SPECT imaging for a fee to diagnose conditions. He also posts a lot about bio markers that don’t exist, scare tactics to get people to buy SPECT scans, pushes his own ADHD online test measure, among other things. He also talks a lot about products he has deemed bad for you while directing you to his website for better options.

Go through comments on his videos and find people praising him for his knowledge and asking him to do videos on other things they think he has the imaging and supplements answers for.

I initially laughed at the snake oil obviousness. Then sadly found there’s people online who said their therapists have recommended him and his “tests and advice.” Maybe he started off legit but click baiting sells and $3,500 “scans” make more than $200 med check visits I guess. 🙄

He makes Dr. Oz look like a great honest doctor and Dr. Phil look like he’s using empirically based approaches.


In his case you wonder where the medical board is on these things?

I don’t hate the hustle and business building, but I do hate the snake oil shilling and the disregard for general ethics and do no harm ethics to get clicks and trick people.

 

[chicandtoughness]

We refuse to acknowledge Dr. Amen as one of ours >[ He attended Oral Roberts University for his MD, which is an evangelical college whose medical school was shut down in like, the late 70s.

He's also a trauma fetishist in the same way that Mate is, sigh.

It's giving the same vibes as snake oil noctors who shill full body MRI scans every month.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

I stumbled upon some psychiatrist named Dr. Amen on social media… he pushes SPECT imaging for a fee to diagnosis conditions. He also posts a lot about bio markers that don’t exist, scare tactics to get people to buy SPECT scans, pushes his own ADHD online test measure, among other things. He also talks a lot about products he has deemed bad for you while directing you to his website for better options.

Go through comments on his videos and find people praising him for his knowledge and asking him to do videos on other things they think he has the imaging and supplements answers for.

I initially laughed at the snake oil obviousness. Then sadly found there’s people online who said their therapists have recommended him and his “tests and advice.” Maybe he started off legit but click baiting sells and $3,500 “scans” make more than $200 med check visits I guess. 🙄

He makes Dr. Oz look like a great honest doctor and Dr. Phil look like he’s using empirically based approaches.


In his case you wonder where the medical board is on these things?

I don’t hate the hustle and business building, but I do hate the snake oil shilling and the disregard for general ethics and do no harm ethics to get clicks and trick people.

I've come across multiple evaluation reports from his clinics. I've yet to see one that didn't suggest some possibility, purportedly per results from SPECT and other imaging, of various combinations of ADHD, TBI, and possible Alzheimer's. My understanding is that the cost of all the work up was into the five figures, all out of pocket.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

I feel like his politics make him come across as less credible

More details, please. I know nothing about this person.

 

[cara susanna]

More details, please. I know nothing about this person.

He's kind of like, anti-woke. I'm not saying it's a bad thing per se, just if you're trying to persuade people who are, well, woke, they aren't going to be super impressed.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

He's kind of like, anti-woke. I'm not saying it's a bad thing per se, just if you're trying to persuade people who are, well, woke, they aren't going to be super impressed.

Somehow this tracks.

 

[DynamicDidactic]

Someone in a Reddit thread posted this link of a video of George Bonnano talking with the YouTuber Doctor Mike. I much enjoyed it (but it is long):

Sadly, this is one of the least watched videos from this channel. Peeing in the shower video was almost 8x more popular.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

More details, please. I know nothing about this person.

He's got some videos on his YouTube channel where he agrees with some of Tucker Carlson's weird spiel.

 

[Shiori]

Sadly, this is one of the least watched videos from this channel. Peeing in the shower video was almost 8x more popular.

It looks like people aren't as excited about his interview-style videos. They want pure Dr. Mike.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

We refuse to acknowledge Dr. Amen as one of ours >[ He attended Oral Roberts University for his MD, which is an evangelical college whose medical school was shut down in like, the late 70s.

He's also a trauma fetishist in the same way that Mate is, sigh.

It's giving the same vibes as snake oil noctors who shill full body MRI scans every month.

From my understanding, Nova Southeastern University's psych dept is in bed with his clinics.

 

[chicandtoughness]

From my understanding, Nova Southeastern University's psych dept is in bed with his clinics.

This.... does not surprise me given it's Nova.

Apologies to any Nova grads here :'(

 

[AcronymAllergy]

From my understanding, Nova Southeastern University's psych dept is in bed with his clinics.

I don't know how intertwined they are, but I've definitely seen Nova students who've done rotations through there.

 

[WisNeuro]

I don't know how intertwined they are, but I've definitely seen Nova students who've done rotations through there.

Been a few years since I trained interns/postdocs at this point, but nearly all of the applications for more neuro people I reviewed at that time had rotations/posters/pubs with the Amen clinic. Utilized my automatic veto quite a bit in those years.

 

[WPMO]

Yeah, but it should be a good enough rationale 🤣

Unironically though - the Therapists subreddit has over 100,000 people on it. There is influence to be had there. Even if not all are actual therapists, certainly tens of thousands are. There is nowhere else you can get out a message to tens of thousands of people all at once in this field.

 

[psychma]

Don’t knock all mid levels. We aren’t all posting on Reddit. I had 1 stats class, an assessment course that was all stats, and 4 additional assessment courses. I don’t believe in brain spotting or EMDR and practice the evil CBT. I completed thousands of hours of supervision with a licensed psychologist over 4 years … thousands of hours more than I needed. I have my own private practice but pay a PhD psychologist to collaborate with me in order to ensure I’m continuously providing quality care.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Note I said "someone" and not "me" for that reason. Also, like, I'm not sure "we need to educate people on Reddit" is the best rationale for a paper being a good fit for a journal.

I mean, there's a decent corpus of articles published to counteract/correct popular misconceptions, so it can be done.

 

[The Cinnabon]

It looks like people aren't as excited about his interview-style videos. They want pure Dr. Mike.

I've always been so torn on Dr.Mike. Occasionally he'll interview someone who is a legitimate expert in their field not out to shill. But he almost equally also interviews total shills or shill adjacent types.

 

[EnPsychlopedia]

Don’t knock all mid levels. We aren’t all posting on Reddit. I had 1 stats class, an assessment course that was all stats, and 4 additional assessment courses. I don’t believe in brain spotting or EMDR and practice the evil CBT. I completed thousands of hours of supervision with a licensed psychologist over 4 years … thousands of hours more than I needed. I have my own private practice but pay a PhD psychologist to collaborate with me in order to ensure I’m continuously providing quality care.

You’re a good therapist.

 

[Sanman]

I've always been so torn on Dr.Mike. Occasionally he'll interview someone who is a legitimate expert in their field not out to shill. But he almost equally also interviews total shills or shill adjacent types.

The problem is there would be little content without some shills. They are the ones willing to be guests.