The predictable backlash against Dr. Phil’s Britney Spears television special has begun. Ever since news broke that the good doctor finagled his way into her hospital room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center psych ward, people have been throwing a fit. And it seems pretty deserved. Though Dr. Phil originally said he stayed and talked with Britney for over an hour, then walked her to her car, it quickly became clear from many hospital sources that that was not the case. Dr. Phil was only there for fifteen minutes, and was a very unwelcome visitor, as far as Brit was concerned. Many sources are saying they didn’t so much have a talk as much as Dr. Phil just lectured at her in that way he has. It’s also pretty doubtful that he “escorted” her to her car, but more likely followed her out, yammering at her. Most commenters on our website and others seem to think Dr. Phil shouldn’t be associated with Spears, and that his motivations are more publicity-based than out of true concern for her. Many people have also pointed out that it’s inappropriate for a TV doctor to have gained admittance to the psych ward unless he was one of the patient’s doctors, which he isn’t. It seems like he traded on his name to get in there, and frankly I can’t blame Britney for being pissed.

Dr. Phil McGraw has canceled plans to dedicate a show to Britney Spears, calling the situation “too intense,” he announced on his Web site Monday.

“As was widely reported this weekend, at the request of concerned family members, I visited Britney Spears in the hospital. The details of that visit will, of course, remain private,” he said in a message online. We had planned to tape a Dr. Phil Now show today, focusing not on the tabloid side of Britney’s latest problems, but instead on the very serious issues surrounding this case. Clearly, it is not just Britney’s family struggling to find a way to protect adult children who cannot be ordered or compelled to seek help. Because the Spears situation is too intense at this time, and out of consideration to the family, I have made the decision not to move forward with the taping at this particular time. Britney and her family are in our prayers, and we ask that they be in yours.”

Earlier on Monday, McGraw appeared on CBS’s The Early Show and said that Spears’s family was “very frustrated” that the pop star wasn’t held for a longer period of time at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was admitted last week.

[From People]

I’m embarrassed to say I used to really like Dr. Phil. Pop psychology can be dangerous, but normally I’d glean a few pearls of wisdom from his show. If nothing else it was decent entertainment that (until recently) didn’t make me feel quite as guilty as watching Jerry Springer or something. But in the last year or two his show has gotten incredibly cheesy and commercial, and every time I see that damned “Dr. Phil House” I want to light the thing on fire. I think he could have actually done some good with his popularity if he’d have kept himself – and the show’s content – in check. Truly, associating yourself so personally with Britney Spears is career suicide. If he absolutely had to talk about it, he should have 1) stayed away from Britney, as his presence could only seem self-serving and 2) do a show about mental breakdowns/bi-polar/postpartum depression or whatever it is he thinks she’s suffering from, and talk about her a bit as an example, but not actively include her family. If I were Britney Spears and my family went on Dr. Phil’s show to talk about me, I would feel incredibly betrayed, and make sure they never had the chance to be around me again. If they want to influence her positively and get her help, they need to do so privately.

I NEVER thought I’d say this, but I do feel some compassion for her, for the first time. Her thought patterns are clearly not healthy, rational, or logical. It seems pretty obvious to me that what was once self-centered, immature behavior resulting from a lack of intellect has deteriorated into severe mental illness. I really do think she’s in danger of killer herself, either on purpose or accidentally. When things spiral out of control like this, sometimes people feel there’s no other way out. She’s in pretty deep, and I hope she has some resources and people around her that will remind her that she can still turn things around if she’s truly and permanently committed to it.