Before I begin, in full disclosure, I have no professional experience whatsoever with mental health services, treatment or diagnosis. But I live everyday with a wife who is acutely, mentally ill with BPD (borderline personality disorder) and other issues (depression, anxiety, narcissism, etc.), that stem from it. These are behaviors we have all lived with in my house for several years even before it was all correctly diagnosed.
Every day I deal with somebody who spends the vast majority of their day in bed, is quite detached from our four children, faces huge emotional storms with various degrees of rationality, and — from a personality perspective — rarely wakes up the same woman I’ve known her to be in the many years before this illness struck her.
I tell you all this not to engender sympathy, but so you’ll understand: I may not have the professional qualifications to diagnose or treat it, but I know what it is, and I know what it does to the people around the afflicted.
In point of fact, mental illness is the root cause of the biggest issue of this election. Donald Trump, who is clearly so mentally ill that he is incapable of running this country carries he illness on him like a flashing neon sign. I know there have been several professionals who have tried to ascertain what is going on, but I also know this man can never be presidential. Ever. All dog-whistles, entertaining diversions and quips aside, regardless of what his disorder is, Donald Trump is clearly and profoundly disturbed. His self-control is definitely in question, as very well may be his perception of rational reality.
But this goes further than the Republican candidate, himself. Look at the issues of the mass shootings, the racially motivated shootings of people of color in this country, gun control, and even health care. All involve a level of the need to openly understand and discuss mental illness. Like physical illness, it often harms far more than the afflicted themselves. It frequently hurts those closest to him or her. It can perpetuate bad behaviors (particular in children) but it all hurts adults (parents, spouses, others). I frequently find myself up at night, crying for what is lost, or for my children or even for my wife. Sometimes I’m angry, and sometimes I’m just frustrated. Sometimes I even get to feel elation that for just a few simple minutes we are a “normal” couple or family again.
I’ll bet that behind the public veneer, Donald Trump’s family experience those same things, too.
There could well be issues involving these white policemen who shoot when they don’t have to. Same with these mass shooters, and hence the need to address gun control and background checks when it comes to those looking to by guns. Why the NRA would support the idea of allowing guns into the hands of those who are not healthy enough to be responsible with them is well beyond me. The cold, political fact is that it defeats their purposes to take that stance.
We seem to spend a lot of time labeling the nature of each attack. Is it terrorism? A hate crime? What group was targeted? All the while, I can guarantee you that each shooter was mentally ill.
You’d think this would be a non-partisan issue and we’d figure this out. You would think that these gazillion “never Trump” Republicans would come out and say what most of them must be thinking — that the Republican party is nominating somebody who cannot competently hold office because he is too mentally ill.
Honestly, there is probably only one good thing left that Donald Trump could do for his country: Come clean, decline his party’s nomination, and talk about his mental illness in a way that might help others.
Mental illness is insidious, because often the afflicted do not understand the nature of the illness. They are not self-aware enough to seek treatment, and they frequently blame others or deny there is a problem. When they go into treatment they don’t always keep up with it. It’s emotionally painful, hard to understand and very messy with your life.
It’s also clearly a large part of this election. Maybe a less circumventing that fact and more direct discussion instead will lead to more proactive attention to mental health issues, something that is most certainly needed across this country.