Lauer: But a little bit of what you're saying Tom is, you say you want people to do well.  But you want them do to well by taking the road that you approve of, as opposed to a road that may work for them.

Cruise: No, no, I'm not.

Lauer: Well, if antidepressants work for Brooke Shields, why isn't that okay?

Cruise: I disagree with it.  And I think that there's a higher and better quality of life.  And I think that, promoting — for me personally, see, you're saying what, I can't discuss what I wanna discuss?

Lauer: No.  You absolutely can.

Cruise: I know.  But Matt, you're going in and saying that, that I can't discuss this.

Lauer: I'm only asking, isn't there a possibility that — do you examine the possibility that these things do work for some people?  That yes, there are abuses.  And yes, maybe they've gone too far in certain areas.  Maybe there are too many kids on Ritalin.  Maybe electric shock —

Cruise: Too many kids on Ritalin?  Matt.

Lauer: I'm just saying.  But aren't there examples where it works?

Cruise: Matt.  Matt, Matt, you don't even — you're glib.  You don't even know what Ritalin is. If you start talking about chemical imbalance, you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt, okay?  That's what I've done.  Then you go and you say where's the medical test?  Where's the blood test that says how much Ritalin you're supposed to get?

Lauer: It's very impressive to listen to you.  Because clearly, you've done the homework.  And you know the subject.

Cruise: And you should. And you should do that also. Because just knowing people who are on Ritalin isn't enough. You should be a little bit more responsible in knowing really —

Lauer: I'm not prescribing Ritalin, Tom.  And I'm not asking anyone else to do it.  I'm simply saying, I know some people who seem to have been helped by it.

Cruise: But you're saying this is a very important issue.

Lauer: I couldn't agree more.

Cruise: It's very — and you know what?  You're here on the "Today" show.

Lauer: Right.

Cruise: And to talk about it in a way of saying, "Well, isn't it okay," and being reasonable about it when you don't know and I do, I think that you should be a little bit more responsible in knowing what it is.

Lauer: But —

Cruise: Because you communicate to people.

Lauer: But you're now telling me that your experiences with the people I know, which are zero, are more important than my experiences.

Cruise: What do you mean by that?

Lauer: You're telling me what's worked for people I know or hasn't worked for people I know.  I'm telling you, I’ve lived with these people and they're better.

Cruise: So, you're advocating it.

Lauer: I am not.  I'm telling you in their case, in their individual case, it worked.  I am not gonna go out and say, "Get your kids on Ritalin.  It's the cure-all and the end-all."

Cruise: Matt, but here's the point.  What is the ideal scene for life? Okay. The ideal scene is someone not having to take antipsychotic drugs.

Lauer: I would agree.

Cruise: Okay.  So, now you look at a departure from that ideal scene, is someone taking drugs, okay.  And then you go, okay.  What is the theory and the science behind that, that justifies that?

Lauer: Let me take this more general, because I think you and I can go around in circles on this for awhile.  And I respect your opinion. Do you want more people to understand Scientology?  Would that be a goal of yours?

Cruise: You know what?  Absolutely.  Of course, you know. 

Lauer: How do you go about that?

Cruise: You just communicate about it.  And the important thing is, like you and I talk about it, whether it's okay, if I want to know something, I go and find out.  Because I don't talk about things that I don't understand.  I'll say, you know what?  I'm not so sure about that.  I'll go find more information about it so I can come to an opinion based on the information that I have.

Lauer: You're so passionate about it.

Cruise: I'm passionate about learning.  I'm passionate about life, Matt.

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