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Donald Trump’s Mental Health – Should we be Concerned?

August 2nd, 2018

Update Feb 2019: This study may be of interest to you.

“Trump is crazy!” is a personal opinion shared by most of us probably. But is he literally, actually, medically, unhinged?
Something unprecedented has occurred with this Presidency: mental health professionals have been shouting from the roof-tops ever since Trump was elected that they believe he suffers from serious psychiatric disorders and that he should not be in charge of anything – let alone an entire country and its nuclear arsenal.
The unprecedented:
1. Groups of mental health professionals have published open letters and organised petitions alerting the public to their concerns about Trump’s mental health. [See here, for example].
2. An association of mental health professionals and other concerned citizens, called ‘A Duty to Warn’, are advocating Trump’s removal under the 25th Amendment on the grounds that he is psychologically unfit.
3. Numerous psychologists and psychiatrists have explained their concerns in interviews, some of which I will post below.
4. A least three books on the subject have been published: A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of Donald Trump, Rocket Man: Nuclear Madness and the Mind of Donald Trump, and New York Times best-seller The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President. Find out about them here.
5. 14 separate conferences across the States were held in October last year to discuss the psychological fitness of Donald Trump to be president. As one speaker at one of these conferences, psychoanalyst Dr. Frank Malone, writes: “It is unprecedented for so many mental health professionals to have unified over a political problem in the form of this multi-conference event. In this case, however, it is also an emergency public health matter. As of this writing, Dr. Lee is actively meeting with members from both sides of the U.S. House and Senate on how to proceed with safeguarding the public from the danger of President Donald Trump.” [National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis Winter-Spring Newsletter 2018].

OK – So it’s not just us who are worried. The shrinks are worried too. Their diagnoses include malignant narcissism, paranoia, and sociopathy. Is this all an over-reaction? Isn’t it a bit late – Mueller is closing in and surely the house of cards will soon come tumbling down?
Well, if you accept the professional opinions of dozens of psychiatrists, and the arguments they provide for their diagnoses is convincing, then as things get worse for him, his behaviour may become more unpredictable – more insane. He’s not going to give in quietly, or so some seem to think.
Trump’s condition and behaviour doesn’t concern just himself and his family. The national conference convened last year looked at his mental state, but it also looked at the effect this was having on mental health professionals themselves, and on their clients.
If we believed the Head of our local school was seriously deranged, we would try to do something about it, for the sake of the children. If it’s seriously possible that Trump is deranged, he needs professional help urgently. Let’s be compassionate: towards the man suffering from the ill-health, and towards those who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, as a result of his unwellness. Time for 75 seconds of insight into Trump’s vulnerabilties:

And here is 13 minutes of an up-to-date assessment:

Want more detail? Here a whole bunch of psychiatrists and psychologists give their diagnoses over 30 minutes:

16 Responses to “Donald Trump’s Mental Health – Should we be Concerned?”

  1. I remember that in the beginning a doctor declared on tv in an official statement that he was mentally healthy. But I also think that he is not.

  2. What amazes me is that more than 30% of Americans strongly support this sick dangerous individual.

  3. Someone suggested to me that his craziness could be an act. As a tv personality/celebrity, he knows how to play to a crowd. So what if, while we’re all thinking he’s crazy, he’s just creating diversions to distract us from what’s happening behind the scenes. If you ignore Trump for a moment and really look at what US Empire is up to and who’s really pulling the strings, the distraction theory becomes much more plausible.

  4. Difficult issue. Druid John Michael Greer has written numerous posts about the political situation in the US right now. It’s extremely complex. Trump represents a threat to the political establishment which is doing everything it can to smear him, e.g. All the nonsense about the Russians interfering in the election. Leaders tend to be sociopaths usually. Margaret thatcher, and tony Blair are obvious examples. And how do you know whether or not it’s a stage managed act? Complex situation.

  5. President Trump has basically already used this in his favor …. Trump Derangement Syndrome. If he is in-fact seeking attention (negative attention is attention…where attention goes energy goes)….why do people keep giving him that (critical/negative) attention (and power) and therefore continually increasing it since he uses it in his favor?
    He used Hillary’s “basket of deplorables” in the same way. (Seems way more complex too when you add in all the other factors on the surface and under the surface.)

  6. I’m a qualified Psychologist and Psychotherapist. I’m not concerned about Trumps mental health. I have never met him, neither has 99.9% of those who hold the view he is suffering from an issue. The information we all have is coming from the media.

    • Hi Richard, the information I cite purports to come from psychiatrists. Are you saying this is not correct? Or are you saying you have a different opinion to them?

      • Can a diagnose really be made with out meeting someone in person and speaking with them one-on-one? Isn’t there some sort of scale in mental disorders? Like 1 to 10….. spectrum from mild to severe? (Putting my question forth here for those of you who ARE mental health professionals since I do not myself hold that qualification.)

        Don’t some people present one side of themselves in public and another side in private? (There have been cases where serial killers have fooled many people by appearing quite normal in public.)

        How can you know that it’s not part of the “act” (like an actor on stage) of a politician? (The political theatre, political drama, the political persona.)

        Are the mental health professionals who are making this diagnose Republican and Conservative or Democratic and Liberal? (Is this diagnosis along political lines?)

        I hope this conversation will continue.
        I am trying to sort it out myself.

        Thank you.

        • Hi Northern Kiara,
          You ask: “Can a diagnose really be made without meeting someone in person and speaking with them one-on-one?”
          The point made by psychiatrist John Gartner in the ‘Duty to Warn’ video (the last of the three I posted) is that evaluation does not necessarily need an in-person interview, and in fact with someone who pathologically lies there can be no value in it, because they will simply respond dishonestly to questions.He then points out that we can infer someone’s mental state from observing their behaviour, and goes on to cite examples.
          “Isn’t there some sort of scale in mental disorders?” Not really, in as much as if someone is diagnosed as suffering from say schizophrenia, or from a neurosis, these diagnoses are not rated on a scale. You may be thinking of terms like ‘the autistic spectrum’ where there is a way of talking about mild vs severe symptoms/diagnoses.
          “Don’t some people present one side of themselves in public and another side in private?” Sure. But I’m not sure anyone would ‘pretend’ or ‘put on an act’ of being narcissistic or sociopathic, for example. And with Trump, for instance, on Day 1 of his presidency which he spent trying to tell us that his inauguration crowd was bigger than Obama’s, despite the photographic evidence, I feel it’s unlikely that this bizarre example of narcissism and insecurity would be an ‘act’. What purpose would that serve?
          Are the mental health professionals who are making this diagnose Republican and Conservative or Democratic and Liberal? (Is this diagnosis along political lines?) I don’t know what their political persuasions are, but the point I make that it is unprecedented that so much attention (14 conferences, books, a campaign etc.) should be mounted. My feeling is that these diagnoses are not politically motivated. Instead they are motivated by a sincere concern arising out of seeing a country in the hands of someone displaying symptoms of psychopathology. Thank you for your questions! As you say, its good to try and sort out the thinking in this!

          • I came upon the following article which answers one question I had anyways…
            http://www.apa.org/news/press/response/presidential-candidates.aspx

            In regards to the question “should we be concerned about President Trump’s mental health”, well everyone should be concerned about everyone’s mental health including their own.

            So the next question that comes to mind is “how should a professional psychologist go about making a judgement regarding the mental health of another?” That question appears to have its answer in the link I’ve shared.

            I am more concerned frankly in professionals who ignore the ethics of their own profession. If it becomes OK to boot someone out of a job (no matter what office or job they hold) based on a diagnose from afar, then what implications does that have down the road? Could anything I write (or any other person) on a blog eventually become evidence against my mental fitness? What if I am writing poetry? What if I am using symbolic writing? What if I am writing about magic? What if I write about how my spirit guide(s) communicate with me? Or my council of elders, or the trees or the animals? What if I am sharing artwork? Would that eventually be used as evidence of mental fitness? And who get’s to decide that? (At some point my freedom to fully express symbolically becomes restricted and confined out of fear.) I could also wander off into the realm of the Tarot, and the occult…

            When I think this out even further the bible comes to mind. Certainly the authors of the bible would be considered mentally unfit. They might even be accused of hate speech. (We already know how the bible has been, and probably still is, used to incite physical violence and death.)

            There will be many important public figures in trouble if we let it be okay to make judgements and diagnoses from afar.

            If you are asking (in a round about way) if your readers feel that President Trump is mentally unfit (based on the evidence you presented) my answer would be: Personally, I don’t feel I can make a mental fitness judgement on anyone I’ve not interacted with one-on-one. It is the people close to an individual who would need to act if the situation warrants it. (Not psychologists who have not followed the proper process and administered the appropriate testing.)

            President Trump’s personality and political style certainly grates against a great many people, and politics is creating a huge divide in many circles. The division is apparent even here (and on FB) as your commenters take their sides and sometimes insult or berate each other and whole groups of people (to put it mildly). It is a mental violence that I’d rather not participate in. Being a Druid Warrior does not appeal to me. Mental and verbal bloodshed drains the soul of vitality.

            If I am to call myself a Druid, I’d like to be a “Druid Peacemaker” and be able to see both sides of an issue and a person (positive and negative, light and dark, sun and shadow), not exploit and exaggerate, and not divide people where there need not be further division already. I’d like to encourage people to take the time to see all sides of a situation. To not take things too personally. To not get caught in polarization. To not feed the monster within or without. To see other points of view no matter how hard that might seem. To maybe even view from above all the group-ism chaos. To be kind and loving in words and thoughts. To give others a chance. To be the change they want to see. To find common ground. To be a peace-maker not a war-maker.

            Thank you for getting me to think about this and finding my place of integrity and strength as a Druid of OBOD.

    • Frankie – I believe that was for his physical medical, not a psychiatric report.

  7. The most interesting commentary I have seen are from Scott Adams and Gary Lachmann.They are all about the persuasion and new thought influence of Norman Vincent Peale on Trump.
    He is not insane but he is unusual. He’s not a politician, he doesn’t have any interest in politics.That’s why he wins.

  8. John Michael Greer has two posts up which everyone should read. I am very familiar with neo reaction as a movement (the snobby end of the alt right) and followed the election through that lense without much mainstream media input.
    Trump loves attention and loves winning.He knows how to use the power of his enemies emotions to disarm them and force them into displaying their real goals.
    If you feel unsafe because of Trump that is positive for him. Dont forget who has lost out for years under previous administrations. If you feel threatened by white men that is intentional.
    Lots of people felt safer when the president acknowledged that their fear of crime wasn’t white priviledge.
    Americans have admitted they are different tribes and will have to find a way forward that works. It’s not all about hate but realism.

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