It’s not often Drew Pinsky, popular radio advice doctor, gets a chance to answer questions about himself. The host of the long-running syndicated relationship forum, Loveline, and VH1’s Celebrity Rehab, did just that while in town last Friday for a live edition of his radio show before a Chicago audience.
Q: Is there an underlying theme in many of the cases you see?
A: The thing now is surviving traumatic childhoods. The abuse of children is so spectacularly common. Look at all the celebrities that are acting out, those are all trauma survivors. That’s the issue of our time. That’s what contributing to the high instance of addiction, it’s sort of more often than not the underlying issue in sex addiction. Strippers, porn stars, they all have sexual trauma or some kind of trauma and we have to come to terms with what this all means.
We went through this period of sort of unrestrained sexuality in the ‘70s and ‘80s. It had a biological consequence and now there’s a deep, deep spiritual and psychological consequence, too.
Q: What do you think that means then for sex education? Does it make it more complicated?
A: I’m not sure it’s more complicated, everyone that studies it agrees that it’s a good thing. Whether it’s a politically expedient thing, then, is always the issue. There’s really no disagreement among people who study this stuff that talking to kids, educating them about whatever – whether it’s drugs, or seat belts or sexuality – is a good thing.
These leagues of sex educators that are out there that have no clinical experience, what is there to guide them other than an epistemology? That’s a concern of mine. Some sex educators have very strong opinions based on research that’s not really clinical, it’s more sociological.
Q: How do we improve education then?
A: Using the media is what you have to do. The question is, though, how do you standardize messages that are truly healthy? It’s really hard. And it changes; it’s a moving target.
People’s behavior changes. You have to keep your eye on why the behavior’s changing, what it implies and what the best practices would be to help people make healthy choices.
Q: How do you then give advice without giving your opinion since sex, for instance, can mean different things to different people?
A: I’m a physician, I have an opinion, that’s simply what it is. When people come to me they want my opinion, that’s what I give them and it’s based on years and years of experience. So it’s not even really my opinion, it’s just what comes across my palate.
Q: What do you think then of shows like “To Catch a Predator” or “Intervention”? Is exposing people like that educational or sensational?
A: I think it’s very important and I think we need to put that stuff out there. The question is how do you in such a way where it doesn’t hurt anybody and so the people who are the objects of this don’t feel exploited; they have to get something out of the experience for it to be OK.
That’s how people learn, they have to see what’s real or they don’t believe it otherwise. When you go to medical school that’s how you learn, you study cases. That’s how people learn efficiently, we have to show them cases in order for them to learn.
Q: When someone does come to you then, most likely a Loveline listener, what can they do for you to get the best result in advice?
A: The idea again is each one is a little case and my goal is just to explicate the case and the case speaks for itself. People present what they want you to see, and I have to unearth what’s really going on and that’s what teaches people. It also gives the caller a chance to look more honestly and appraise what’s going on with them.
I never tell them what to do, I just give them directions, generalities and education and hopefully that helps them make better choices or take some action.
Q: Do guests often take the conversation in a weird direction? Is it usually positive to have another famous person on the show throwing out advice?
A: Always. Of course [it’s positive]. Movie stars are a little different, though, because they really think they know more than anybody else and they usually know a lot less. They’re so insulated and have people around them telling them they’re geniuses. That tends to be my least favorite of the population. But the rest of the celebrities are really just regular people.
And I’m also, obviously, very interested in pulling back the veil of the celebrity armor. There’s really some messed up people there. I wrote a book about that because it’s what I would see on the radio every night, and that’s what I treat in the hospital every day.
Q: What is the purpose of something like Twitter then for you since it’s full of all types of celebrities?
A: I was a reluctant participant and now all of a sudden I’ve got a million and six people I’m responsible for. I feel it as a big responsibility at this point. I’m not entirely clear what to do with it, frankly.
I’ve been to Twitter conferences and people want behind-the-scenes. My behind-the-scenes is not that interesting. I’m either practicing medicine or I’m with my family.
It seems grandiose and yucky to broadcast what I’m doing. Who cares what I’m doing? It has potential, I just don’t know what it is yet.
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NOTES: This is the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.
