As the story continues with Britney Spears and Phil McGraw (“Dr. Phil”), the spotlight begins to shine more on the good doctor and his ethics. After being rebuffed by Ms. Spears as she was being discharged at the hospital, Dr. Phil decides not to go forward with a show highlighting her recent concerns.

The Associated Press asks the question about Dr. Phil’s ethics today, and makes a pretty good case that perhaps he stepped over the line with his attempts to exploit Ms. Spears’ recent hospitalization. This is what Dr. Phil said:

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. 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.

The fact that you even had a meeting with Britney Spears should have been private! A person’s privacy when it comes down to health issues starts with their name and who they choose (or not) to see.

In your own infamous words, What were you thinking?

If a legitimate healthcare professional wants to offer legitimate help to Ms. Spears out of concern for her welfare, they would do so privately, out of the public spotlight. Dr. Phil is apparently more interested in the entertainment value Ms. Spears could bring to his show, however.

This is not Dr. Phil’s first obsession with Britney. He devoted a whole show to her and her troubles back in October.

Hopefully this will be out last Britney Spears update for awhile.

Read more: Dr. Phil cancels his Britney show

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 8 Jan 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.