By Hal Brown, MSW
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Here are Internet searches for several phrases related to Trump’s dangerous psychopathology:
Trump and mentally ill
Trump and delusional
Trump and narcissism
Trump and paranoid
Trump dangerously mentally ill
Trump Unfit
Here are links to stories by some of the most prolific mental health professionals writing about Trump’s psychopathology (including yours truly)
Part of the problem with educating the public can be seen on the above links. It is that the majority of information has been disseminated through the liberal or progressive media. Of all the therapists speaking out, only Dr. John Gartner, founder of Duty to Warn, appeared on Fox News. He was on the despicable Watter’s World show, and it was a disaster. There have been a few articles in USA Today.
How many times can mental health professionals ring the church bell in the town square warning of the impending danger?
How many times can these modern day Paul Reveres ride the streets shouting “the disaster is coming?”
How many times can the air raid siren go off?
How often does the tornado warning have to interrupt your TV shows with that screeching sound?
How many times do the nuclear plant meltdown alarms have to be activated?
There is nothing that Trump has done since losing the election which mental health professionals and others familiar with his past behavior couldn’t have predicted. There’s no particular reason which I can see to keep writing about it, to keep warning about what he is likely to do next: act out his malignant narcissism, sadism, and his aggression towards just about anyone (Social Security disability recipients for example) and of course towards those he perceives as his enemies.
The alarm has been sounded.
Now we just have to go to our air raid or tornado shelters and wait it out… that is unless he becomes floridly psychotic or has what’s called an acute psychotic episode. Symptoms of this may include true delusional thoughts and beliefs as opposed to wishful thinking or political calculation, and especially having auditory and visual hallucinations, and clinical paranoia.
Then, damnit, many of us will have to resist saying “I told you so” and begin to write about the urgent need to implement the 25th Amendment before he can start a nuclear war.
The Poll: If a significant number of readers are interested in reading more about Trump’s psychopathology I will continue to offer my analysis. Please comment if there are specific questions you want me to address.
Monday, Dec 14, 2020 · 6:12:40 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
I added this in response to a comment asking how Trump would react in the coming days. I compared him to Nixon when he knew his presidency was over
Nixon had many flaws but at the end his clinical diagnosis would probably have been clinical depression. Trump is so different that I expect that if he decompensated even more we will see one or a combination of these psychiatric reactions to the certainty that he has lost. From the least to most severe. We are already seeing the first but it could get worse.
- Narcissistic rage
- Extreme irritability
- Uncontrolled rage attacks for no discernible reason
- Manic behavior (at extreme part of bipolar psychosis)
- Not in character, various levels of depression form minor to debilitation major depression
- Delusional level denial (a psychosis — up until Jan. 20 he believes he will be inaugurated)
- Paranoia (psychotic — for example, unseen forces are out to get me, the CIA has bugged the White House, physical manifestations he attributes to sonic waves directed against him)
- Acute psychosis (auditory and or visual hallucinations)
- Catatonic state (one of three types)
I would also consider the chance that the stress he is under will impair his immune system and lead to physical illness, or cause psychosomatic symptoms.