Saturday, March 23, 2024

Latest Posts

What Mental Illness Does Trump Have

Why Does The Dunning

Psychiatrist On The Essential Emptiness Of President Donald Trump | The Last Word | MSNBC

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which people overestimate their knowledge or ability in a specific area. This tends to occur because a lack of self-awareness prevents them from accurately assessing their own skills. For example, a tone-deaf singer may be unable to distinguish her talent from that of the greatest starsleading her to believe that she is equally gifted. Donald Trump seems to have unwavering confidence, despite instances in which he seems uninformed about policy. This dichotomy has led some to discuss the interesting phenomenon of Dunning-Kruger.

Privileged Behavior: Mental Illness Is Not Why Trump Became Emotionally Untethered From Humanity

Posted by John Pavlovitz | Jan 11, 2021

For years, people have been talking about Donald Trumps mental state, throwing around the term mental illness as a lazy catch-all for his erratic behavior, inexhaustible cruelty, and inexplicable recklessness. In the wake of the election, a growing choir has assembled singing the same refrain.

This has always struck me as particularly damaging, because it assumes something dangerous: that all mentally ill people are vengeful, bigoted, unrepentant sociopaths. We are not.

As one of the 51 million Americans who battles a brain affliction, I can attest to the reality that the vast majority of us are not oblivious to the feelings of other people or unaware of the results of our actions we are in fact, highly sensitive to them. It is precisely our illness that makes us feel the pain around us deeply, that causes us to notice the fractures and grieve the wounds of the world that many people are unaware of.

We are more emotionally tethered to humanity, not less.

Those of us navigating the daily minefield of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and bipolar disorders, do so while being profoundly burdened to be sources of healing and restoration here, to be agents of equity and fairness. We war with our demons while simultaneously fighting for other people in peril. Our illness and our kindness coexists every single day.

Do You Agree With What She’s Written About The President

Miller: ” I agree entirely. ‘Prototypical’ doesn’t describe the degree to which meets the criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Many of us who study it say that if we other peer reviewers would say, ‘You’ve made up too cartoonish of a case.’ They wouldn’t believe it would be possible. That’s how incredibly well he fits those symptoms. I’ve viewed Donald Trump as an example of narcissism going back 15 years. Long before he was running for president, long before he was associated with the Republican Party. Literally, going back into the mid-2000s at academic talks he was one of the pictures I would put up. This is hardly new. Narcissism is associated with aggression, in general, and specifically under an ego-threat. When someone has criticized you, we’re going to see lashing out. An inability to accept blame it’s always someone else’s fault. To not admit one’s mistakes …that inability to admit that one has ever been wrong is a really huge problem. I agree that we should not be distracted by his narcissism from his psychopathy. Search for the criteria for psychopathy. Look at traits and behaviours in the psychopathy checklist written by Hare. Grapple with how many would he not fit there. And psychopathy is associated much more strongly than narcissism with behaviours that are particularly scary. It’s the callousness, irresponsibility, impulse-control problems, lack of remorse or shame.”

Recommended Reading: Don Trump Jr Email Address

What Should I Do If I Think I Or Someone I Care About Has A Personality Disorder

Thats a complex question and needs careful thought. If you feel that you, or one of your loved ones, does have personality aspects which are having a serious life impact, then it may be worth taking this further. The first step is to ensure that the diagnosis is accurately made. It is not an easy diagnosis to be certain about and there is a bit of a tendency for non-professionals to throw around accusations of personality disorder in a pejorative way at the moment, Therefore it is best if one sees a psychiatrist who has specialist medical training and the experience to diagnose this condition. If the diagnosis is confirmed, the next step is for the person concerned to decide if they want treatment for it.

Below Are Mental Illness Definitions Culled From The Internet

Opinion

“Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors…”

Mayo Clinic, Oct 13, 2015

———————–

“Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in thinking, emotion or behavior . Mental illnesses are associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work or family activities….”

—————————-

“A mental illness is a condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood. Such conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others and function each day….”

List of mental illnesses on this website:

——————————

Also Check: Did Trump Gut The Cdc

Is Trump Mentally Ill

A group of psychiatrists and mental illness experts have written a book titled the Dangerous Case of Donald Trump arguing that President Donald Trump may be dealing with a dangerous mental illness.

Background

American psychiatrists abide by an unofficial rule called the Goldwater Rule. This rule came about in 1964. A magazine conducted a survey of more than a thousand psychiatrists to find out if they believed Republican Presidential nominee Barry Goldwater was mentally fit for the office. The majority of psychiatrists who were polled noted that he was unfit. He did not win the election. However, he successfully sued the magazine for defamation. During this period, the American Psychiatric Association adopted the rule. Under this unofficial ban, psychiatrists cannot talk about a public figures mental health without personally examining them. The reasoning is simple a psychiatrists must examine a patient before diagnosing mental health disorders.

However, there are no real consequences if a psychiatrist were to break that rule.

Senator Jack Reed was caught in a microphone speaking to his colleague Senator Susan Collins in July stating, I think hes crazy. Collins responded simply by noting, Im worried.

Analysis

Assessment

Read more:

It Is An Interesting Question Isnt It

The reason for that is that most of us are interested in people we get intrigued by the inner lives of others were interested in personality. But what exactly is personality? Most people would probably say something like that someones personality is how someone usually is. So that is how they think, respond emotionally, behave, and what their relationships are like and this is a useful way to think about the subject: how one thinks, feels, behaves and is in relationships is really just how one lives. So when aspects of someones personality constantly lead to problems in their lives for the individual or those around them, a psychiatrist would say that this may indicate a Personality Disorder .

You May Like: Does Donald Trump Have A Toupee

Is Something Neurologically Wrong With Donald Trump

It is best not to diagnose the president from afar, which is why the federal government needs a system to evaluate him up close.

President Donald Trumps decision to brag in a tweet about the size of his nuclear button compared with North Koreas was widely condemned as bellicose and reckless. The comments are also part of a larger pattern of odd and often alarming behavior for a person in the nations highest office.

Trumps grandiosity and impulsivity have made him a constant subject of speculation among those concerned with his mental health. But after more than a year of talking with doctors and researchers about whether and how the cognitive sciences could offer a lens to explain Trumps behavior, Ive come to believe there should be a role for professional evaluation beyond speculating from afar.

Im not alone. Viewers of Trumps recent speeches have begun noticing minor abnormalities in his movements. In November, he used his free hand to steady a small Fiji bottle as he brought it to his mouth. Onlookers described the movement as awkward and made jokes about hand size. Some called out Trump for doing the exact thing he had mocked Senator Marco Rubio for during the presidential primaryconspicuously drinking water during a speech.

Mental Health Expert: Donald Trump Is Like A Serial Killer Who Remains A Great Danger To Society

‘The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump’: 27 Psychiatrists Assess | The Last Word | MSNBC

The House Jan. 6 committee’s public hearings have made it increasingly clear that Donald Trump and his confederates attempted a coup to nullify the results of the 2020 presidential election and, in effect, end American democracy. The coup plot involved every branch of government including the courts, Congress, the Department of Justice and the military. It was nationwide and included plans to rig the Electoral College results and alter actual vote totals at the state level. Contrary to what too many public voices have continued to suggest in a collective state of willful denial Trump’s coup plot was highly sophisticated and came very close to succeeding.

It is equally clear that the Capitol attack of Jan. 6 was not spontaneous or purely coincidental. Donald Trump and his confederates welcomed and incited the lethal attack as a central element of the attempted coup. The violence of Jan. 6 appears to have been a pretext for Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act and declare a national emergency as a means of remaining in power indefinitely.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather summarized the nature of the threat to American democracy, writing in his newsletter that there “is nothing past tense” about Jan. 6, “even though the date itself is about 18 months ago”:

Donald Trump is not like other human beings, and you can’t treat him as if he is. He is a severe sociopath, and his willingness to see others suffer and die pushes him into the realm of a psychopath.

You May Like: How To Contact Melania Trump

Heres Donald Trumps Scorecard For Malignant Narcissism:

There is no question. Donald Trump suffers from Malignant Narcissism.

No other president has come close to this disorder. Manipulation is a common trait among politicians. Its part of the definition of politics. Bill Clinton could be deceitful. George W. Bush showed some reckless tendencies . Barack Obama could be private and a touch arrogant. But none of them remotely qualify as mentally ill.

Trump, on the other hand, over-qualifies. Says Dr. Gartner,

If I wanted to take out the DSM and say, I want to create a Frankenstein monster I want to create the most dangerous leader that could possibly be imagined and I had a free hand to mix and match any set of diagnoses and symptoms, I couldnt improve on Donald Trump.

Why Does Gaslighting Relate To The Trump Presidency

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation that leads someone to doubt their experience of reality. Through consistent lying, misdirection, and contradiction, the gaslighter attempts to delegitimize the victims beliefs by confusing and destabilizing them. This can lead the victim to doubt their memory, perception, and sometimes even sanity.

President Trump has lied brazenly to the public throughout his term. Early examples include alleging that he had the largest inauguration day audience despite photographic evidence and dismissing Russian interference in the 2016 election as fake news despite a consensus from U.S. intelligence agencies. Trumps frequent and bold lies, and his consistent effort to undermine peoples perception of truth, have led some to characterize Trumps behavior as gaslighting.

You May Like: What Candidate Can Beat Trump

The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump

The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump

First edition cover
978-1-250-17945-6

The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump is a 2017 book edited by Bandy X. Lee, a forensic psychiatrist, containing essays from 27 psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals describing the “clear and present danger” that US PresidentDonald Trump‘s mental health poses to the “nation and individual well being”.A second edition updated and expanded the book with additional essays. Lee maintains that the book remains strictly a public service, and all royalties were donated to the public good to remove any conflict of interest.

Signs Of Personality Or Mood Disorder

Trump Is Mentally Unwell  and Everyone Around Him Knows It

To any first-year psychiatric resident, Trumps sleepless nights filled with ranting tweets suggest irrational exuberance and lack of control, possibly a sign of a mood disorder called hypomania. His life-long history of disregard for others and deceit, if correct as reported, are characteristic of a personality disorder on the narcissistic and even sociopathic spectrum.

To be sure, definitive psychiatric diagnoses cannot be made without an in-person examination And certainly, psychiatric diagnoses themselves dont make someone unfit to be president. But President Trumps particular history and actions create a high index of suspicion for destructive mental processes which are putting the country and its safety and security in jeopardy.

Norman Ornstein:Donald Trump has lost to Joe Biden, what’s next? The presidential transition from hell.

If we had a functioning Republican Party, this would be the time either to pressure the president to resign early and let Vice President Mike Pence handle the remainder of the term or to invoke the 25th Amendment. At minimum, we would hope that key figures, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and other senior officials, would act to embrace the reality of the election outcome and put constraints on Trump to stop destructive acts. Instead, they are enabling his worst instincts and behaviors.

Don’t Miss: How To Get Tickets To Trump Rally

Related: Psychiatry Group Tells Members They Can Ignore Goldwater Rule And Comment On Trumps Mental Health

Assigning psychological disorders to Trump is not only wrong but futile. Vice President Pence, the Cabinet, and Congress would never invoke the 25th Amendment because it would amount to political suicide for everyone concerned and for the Republican Party. Any psychological fitness exam would also be inherently biased and unreliable. My guess is that Trump will eventually be removed from power, but via the appropriate investigative and political process, not a psychiatric evaluation.

I believe that Trump is a mirror of the American soul, a surface symptom of our deeper societal disease. He may not be crazy, but we certainly were for electing him. We mustnt waste this Trumpian dark age. If we dont learn from it, we will keep making the same mistakes.

Allen Frances, M.D., was chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University and also chaired the task force responsible for revising the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He is the author of Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump .

‘donald’s’ Mental Health Is ‘deteriorating’ Even More Under Attacks Says Mary Trump

Trends Reporter, HuffPost

Donald Trumps psychologist niece said Friday that the drumbeat of damning information against the former president coming from the compelling Jan. 6 House select committee hearings is taking a painful toll on his already deteriorating mental health.

And hes likely making everyone around him more miserable than ever because of it, told Daily Beast journalist Mollie Jong-Fast on The New Abnormal podcast.

He is addicted to being at the center of attention. Im sure hes as riveted by these hearings as we are but in completely different ways, said. And for him to feel that the focus is shifting away from him or that hes losing power will make things even worse because he wont confront that and process it and deal with it … and therefore worsen his situation.

More than ever, his temper, the out-of-control narcissism, must be just unspeakably difficult for people around him to deal with. Not that I have any compassion for any of them at this point, she said. But, yeah, its only going get worse from here.

She said nothing shocks her any longer her about her uncle, even after listening to the revelations during the House committees televised hearings, which she called must-watch TV thats incredibly well-crafted.

But what has surprised her is what she sees as his army of silent enablers.

The silence, the enabling, their continuing to admire him is so egregious and almost incomprehensible, she said.

Don’t Miss: Is Melania Going To Divorce Trump

The Dangerous Case Of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists And Mental Health Experts Assess A President

Just between the time that an email request from the book review editor of the Journal arrived to the time of sitting down to begin writing a first draft of this review , there was a flood of print and electronic media opinions on the interrelated topics of President Donald Trump’s mental health and perceived dangerousness. Further, elucidated during this discussion has been the controversy about the American Psychiatric Association’s position on the Goldwater Rule, which declares unethical and forbids all public opinions by psychiatrists about diagnoses and mental health status of public figures whom the opining party has not directly examined according to accepted standards for psychiatric evaluation.

To many psychiatrists, President Trump’s statements and behaviors were patently symptomatic of one or several mental disorders. The facts of the case and the serious risks of erosion of our constitutional democracy and possible nuclear annihilation of the world demanded that psychiatrists warn the public. The analogy to the silence of Germany’s educated and professional classes during Hitler’s ascendancy to power was too obvious to ignore but roughly 40 percent of the country does not agree that the president is evil or dangerous.

Concluding Thoughts On Diagnosing Celebrities

Trump blames back-to-back mass shootings on a mental illness problem’

So, should doctors comment on the mental health of Donald Trump? Or do concerns regarding ethical obligations to protect society from a dangerous leader carry less weight than concerns regarding stigmatizing the mentally ill?

And then there is the issue of hidden agendas: Doctors might use the power and authority of their position to pathologize those they dislike or those whose behaviors are negatively affecting their personal lives.

This is particularly relevant because Bidens mental health, physical health, and competence have also been questioned. McNally calls this the danger of dueling doctors, meaning partisan clinicians eager to diagnose mental disorders in political candidates of the opposing party.

So, what should we do instead of questioning Biden’s or Trumps sanity and competence? It might be better, according to psychiatrist Allen Frances, to criticize a presidents potentially harmful and dangerous policies. Just to give one example, instead of pathologizing Trump, many have used logic and evidence to criticize his policies related to women, sexual minorities, Blacks, religious minorities , and others.

Also Check: When Did Donald Trump Become A Christian

Latest Posts

Popular Articles