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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsA letter from 200+ mental health professionals on Trump's dangerous psychopathology
[This letter will run as a print ad in The New York Times.]
A letter from mental health professionals on Trumps dangerous psychopathology - Anti-Psychopath Political Action Committee
As mental health professionals, we have an ethical duty to warn the public that Donald Trump is an existential threat to democracy. His symptoms of severe, untreatable personality disordermalignant narcissismmakes him deceitful, destructive, deluded, and dangerous. He is grossly unfit for leadership.
Trump exhibits behavior that tracks with the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals (DSM V) diagnostic criteria for narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder, all made worse by his intense sadism, which is a symptom of malignant narcissism. This psychological type was first identified by German psychologist Erich Fromm to explain the psychology of historys most evil dictators.
Detractors object that we mental health professionals cannot render such a diagnosis without first examining the patient, citing the Goldwater Rule. We believe that we have an overriding ethical duty to warn the public of the danger this individual poses. History has taught us that in such circumstances, saying nothing is never the more ethical choice.
Since the Goldwater Rule was adopted, the field has modernized the DSM diagnostic system, which relies exclusively on observable behavioral criteria. For many years, weve all observed thousands of hours of Trumps behavior, reinforced by the observations of dozens of individuals who have interacted with him personally. Using the DSM V, it is easy to see that Trump meets the behavioral criteria for antisocial personality disorder. Even a non-clinician can see that Trump shows a lifetime pattern of failure to conform to social norms and laws, repeated lying, reckless disregard for the safety of others, irritability, impulsivity, irresponsibility, and lack of remorse.
Because of their sadism, malignant narcissists often derive joy from inflicting suffering on others because they disregard the emotions and wellbeing of other peopleespecially their perceived enemies. For example, according to first-hand accounts, Trump watched the violence he unleashed on January 6 for three hours on TV with glee, watching his favorite parts over and over on rewind.
To make matters worse, Trump appears to be showing signs of cognitive decline that urgently cry out for a full neurological work-up, including an MRI and neuropsychological testing. These symptoms include: a dramatic decrease in verbal fluency, tangential thinking, diminished vocabulary, overuse of superlatives and filler words, perseveration, confabulation, phonemic paraphasia, semantic paraphasia, confusing people (not just names), as well as exhibiting deteriorating judgment, impulse control, and motor functioning (including a wide-based gait). We suspect the results of such an evaluation would be disqualifying. If, as we suspect, Trump does have organically based cognitive decline, it will only get worse over time, grossly degrading his already impaired judgment, impulse control, memory, attention, reality testing, and capacity to process information, while dramatically exacerbating the symptoms of his toxic personality disorder.
People suffering with mental illness are no more likely to be dangerous than the general population. Malignant narcissism is the very rare exception. Without question, malignant narcissists have been historys most grandiose, paranoid, and murderous leaders. Inevitably, they escalate until they are completely out of control, ultimately destroying themselves and the nations they lead.
As mental health professionals we feel a desperate duty to warn our fellow citizens of this imminent catastrophic public danger before its too late.
https://www.psychopac.org/open-letter/
mahatmakanejeeves
(60,420 posts)Ramsey Barner
(582 posts)ariadne0614
(1,851 posts). . .and imagine I am not alone. Theres no time to devote energy to paralyzing cynicism.
Jmb 4 Harris-Walz
(671 posts)Thank God these psychologists are doing this! Perhaps this crisis can still be averted! Get him out BEFORE the election
How would that work? Would Vance automatically be substituted as his VP pick? Jeez, hope not!
rambler_american
(827 posts)We've know this about TSF for years. Now? Less than two weeks before the election? Probably too late to change many minds.
madaboutharry
(41,163 posts)influence those republicans who have never voted for a democrat, know in their hearts that Trump is a sick and deviant individual, and who need a nudge to push them over to marking their ballot for Harris.
2naSalit
(91,742 posts)MadameButterfly
(1,431 posts)It's a great letter, but seriously we've known this for a while, have been debating the ethics question for a while, the remaining author of the Goldwater Rule has said it doesn't apply here, and they waited until peope have already been voting?
Jmb 4 Harris-Walz
(671 posts)Letter states that the Republican candidate appears to be showing signs of cognitive decline that urgently call for a full neurological workup
More than 230 psychiatrists and mental health professionals have signed on to an open letter declaring Donald Trump to be far too mentally unstable to be president as part of a new ad campaign from conservative lawyer George Conways Anti-Psychopath PAC.
The open letter will be published on Thursday as a paid advertisement in The New York Times, and states that Trumps symptoms of severe, untreatable personality disorder malignant narcissism have rendered him deceitful, destructive, deluded, and dangerous as well as grossly unfit for leadership.
The mental health experts whove signed the letter also say the ex-president, who despite being the oldest ever person to seek a second term at age 78 has not released any meaningful medical records, appears to be showing signs of cognitive decline that urgently call for a full neurological workup, including a dramatic decrease in verbal fluency, tangential thinking, diminished vocabulary, overuse of superlatives and filler words, perseveration, confabulation, phonemic paraphasia, semantic paraphasia, confusing people (not just names), as well as exhibiting deteriorating judgment, impulse control, and motor functioning (including a wide-based gait).
We suspect the results of such an evaluation would be disqualifying. If, as we suspect, Trump does have organically based cognitive decline, it will only get worse over time, grossly degrading his already impaired judgment, impulse control, memory, attention, reality testing, and capacity to process information, while dramatically exacerbating the symptoms of his toxic personality disorder, they added.
Additionally, the Anti-Psychopath PAC is purchasing airtime on CNN, alongside NBCs Meet the Press, and on cable systems in Palm Beach, Florida and Bedminster, New Jersey to air a new 60-second spot featuring four mental health professionals who lay out how Trumps alleged symptoms make him unfit for office.
Magoo48
(5,083 posts)FakeNoose
(35,221 posts)I know ... that'll never happen.
niyad
(118,969 posts)Martin Eden
(13,341 posts)For that matter, how many Trump voters are open minded?
Perhaps the warning may have some impact on potential 3rd party voters and people on the fence whether to vote at all.
Johnnie Mae
(40 posts)Thanks Dr. Bandy. My husband & I have been waiting for this report. I don't post often. But this is so important and I am so grateful. Vote blue. Bring it on Kamala💙
republianmushroom
(17,099 posts)but, that same 30% +/- believe that politicians know more abut women's health care when it comes to abortion than those health professionals. Talk about "Dumb and dumber".