Dr. Phil has made a name for himself with setting people straight on family issues and addictions on his popular talk show. On Thursday, he applied that approach to a topic many have said is out of his wheelhouse −infectious disease.
The television personality, who is a licensed psychologist, was interviewed Thursday on Fox News’ “Laura Ingraham” show to discuss the mental health implications of the national shutdown due to COVID-19. His interview occurred the same day President Donald Trump announced a three-step plan for states to gradually open back up to help the economy and revisit some level of normalcy.
On Thursday’s show, Dr. Phil, whose real name is Phil McGraw, said that if the lockdowns are not relaxed, America will continue to move toward a “tipping point.”
“The longer this lockdown goes on, the more vulnerable people get,” McGraw told Ingraham.“...It will actually create more destruction and actually more death across time than the actual virus will itself.”
In a matter of months, the highly contagious disease has led to the deaths of more than 34,000 Americans and more than 148,000 people globally.
In defense of his stance, the television psychologist pointed out some statistics, that have later been uncovered to be incorrect, that 360,000 people die “from swimming pools” and about 45,000 people die in car crashes annually. He followed up those numbers by saying “we don’t shut down the country for that.”
According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, about 33,000 people die in car crashes each year in the U.S. As far as drownings, less than 3,500 people across the country die annually in drownings − not specifically in pools, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Social media has accosted Dr. Phil after the interview for dismissing the disease and comparing its impact to deadly occurrences that do not spread through saliva or other social contact.
The response was compounded with disappointment aimed at Dr. Oz, who like McGraw was discovered by media mogul Oprah Winfrey. Recently, Dr. Oz, who is a medical doctor, advocated for reopening schools. He stated that the “opening of schools may only cost us 2 to 3 percent in terms of total mortality.” He later apologized for his comments.
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