JOAQUIN PHOENIX - PHOENIX'S REP BLASTS PSYCHIATRIST

PHOENIX'S REP BLASTS PSYCHIATRIST

A representative for actor-turned-rapper JOAQUIN PHOENIX has slammed an Illinois psychiatrist for branding the star's recent behaviour on a U.S. talk show as "socially inappropriate".
The Walk The Line Oscar nominee sported a scraggly beard, hid behind dark sunglasses, chewed gum and gave brief answers as he promoted his movie Two Lovers on the Late Show With David Letterman last month (Feb09).
His appearance has since been ridiculed in the press, with comedian Ben Stiller even impersonating Phoenix at the recent Academy Awards.
Medical professionals have also weighed in on the topic - with Chicago psychiatrist Paul Dobransky telling the Los Angeles Times, "There is something wrong (with Phoenix). And it's beyond drug use."
But Dobransky's comments have attracted the wrath of Phoenix's spokeswoman, Susan Patricola, who insists the doctor should never have commented on what may have effected Phoenix's performance.
She tells E! News, "How absolutely inappropriate for a doctor who has no personal interaction or relationship with someone to diagnose them. And to do so in a public forum.
"(I) hope they spelled his name right. Another 15-minute 'expert' is born! Astonishingly inappropriate!"