Why did Tom Cruise’s 2005 criticism of psychiatry cause controversy?

Tom Cruise’s 2005 public denouncement of psychiatry as an illegitimate science sparked controversy because it aligned with a long-standing, contentious position held by the Church of Scientology.12

The Church has historically maintained a conflict with the psychiatric and medical establishments, particularly the American Psychiatric Association (APA), by rejecting the use of consciousness-altering drugs and procedures such as lobotomies. Scientologists argue that psychiatry denies the spiritual nature of humanity, a stance that has fueled decades of friction between the church and the mental health profession. By publicly championing these views, Cruise drew significant attention to the church's ongoing ideological battle with the psychiatric community.21