A mental health charity has called on the producers of Big Brother to end the "exploitation" of housemates.
Marjorie Walsh, chief executive of
Sane, said more robust selection tests are needed to prevent vulnerable people from taking part in the show.
She is also concerned that viewers will think watching someone suffer a mental breakdown is "harmless entertainment".
This year's contestants have included Shahbaz Chauhdry, who threatened to kill himself during his stay.
The 37-year-old Glaswegian walked out of the Channel 4 show after just five days.
This year the Big Brother house is smaller than in previous years, with greater use of mirrors and glass to give contestants as little privacy as possible.
Ms Walsh said she considered the environment and conditions experienced by the housemates as reminiscent of psychological experiments.
"Big Brother is playing fast and loose with people's minds - and lives," she said.
"Sane does not want to exclude people from their 'moment of fame', but stressing mentally fragile people to breaking point has sinister echoes of the psychological experiments of the 1960s and even military interrogation techniques.
"Manipulation of people at risk may not only cause long-lasting damage to them, but to viewers who are led to believe that watching mental distress is harmless fun.
"It is both dangerous and unjustifiable.
"We call on Big Brother to use only those robust enough to cope with the exposure, the exploitation and the inevitable letdown that this show demands."
Channel 4 was unavailable for comment but the broadcaster has previously defended its procedures, stressing that the contestants' welfare is "of the utmost importance".
The show's producers said all contestants are "intensively screened by professionals" before entering the house.
Psychologists are also available during the show's run to discuss any concerns that could not be resolved, they added.
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BBC NEWS
Published: 2006/05/31 13:04:20 GMT
