Presented by Dr. Christine M. Silverstein at the 2006 International Psychohistory Association Conference on June 6, 2006 at New York University

Tom Cruise accused Matt Lauer on the NBC show "Today" of not knowing the history of psychiatry, when he decried the overuse of drugs on unsuspecting youths in America. Cruise, as he cruised along during the interview, offended another celebrity, Brooke Shields, who shielded herself from suicidal ideation and postpartum depression, by taking drugs and using "talk therapy" to diminsh her desire to kill herself.

Celebrities are not the only ones who battle over what causes mental illness, what comprises it, or how to treat it. Benedict Carey, The New York Times health journalist, described in 2005 how psychiatrists polarized themselves into "two viscerally opposed camps" when conferring on the proposed new edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, slated for publication in 2010.

These issues framed the discussion of Dr. Silverstein's paper.