Why the Goldwater Rule Is Still Necessary and Not Outdated

Think of this as a sort of follow up post on my blog post pleading people to stop calling Tom Cruise a narcissist. Even though I am not a certified mental health professional, I think the Goldwater Rule is still necessary. And it is not outdated.

For those of you who don't know, the Goldwater Rule is something here in the States that prohibits mental health professionals from diagnosing public figures, such as actors, singers, musicians, athletes, and politicians from a distance. In other words, even a certified mental health professional can't diagnose Tom Cruise with narcissistic personality disorder or clinical psychopathy from afar.

 
People think this rule is in place to protect mental health professions. But it's also there to protect the reputations of public figures. After all, an incorrect armchair diagnosis can also damage the reputations of public figures.

 
So even if you think TC is a prick, only a licensed mental health specialist can determine whether or not he has NPD or clinical psychopathy after they have personally evaluated him. 

P.S. The actor in the images above is not Tom Cruise. I used a stock photo of an actor holding an Oscar statuette.