More than 200 mental health professionals against Trump

9 days to the dramatic US elections and the race is close: 233 mental health professionals claim in an open letter that the Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, threatens democracy with his presence. “He suffers from symptoms of a severe, untreatable personality disorder known as ‘malignant narcissism,’ which makes him deceptive, destructive, delusional, dangerous and grossly unfit for leadership,” they wrote.The letter, which took up a full page in the New York Times last Thursday, was organized by a political group that opposes Trump, Anti-Psychopath PAC, led by lawyer George Conway, an activist who several years ago led the Lincoln Project – a group of Republicans who criticized Trump during his presidency.

 

Among other things, it claims that according to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), Trump’s behavior fits the diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. The health professionals who signed the letter, including doctors, nurses and social workers, point out that “the disorder from which he suffers was aggravated by his “intense sadism”. They add that the disorder of malignant narcissism was first identified by the German psychologist Erich Fromm, to try to explain the psychology that stood Behind the worst dictators of history.

 

“Nervousness, impulsiveness, irresponsibility and lack of remorse”

The experts also refer to the resistance they may encounter, due to the medical ethics of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which opposes diagnosing people with a high public profile, even though they have not been personally evaluated by a psychiatrist. According to them, in the case of Trump, there is an absolute ethical obligation to warn the public of the risk he poses to them. “History has taught us that in such circumstances, saying nothing is never, ever, the most ethical choice. For many years, we have all watched thousands of hours of Trump’s behavior, alongside the observations of dozens of people who interacted with him personally,” it said. It was also noted that even someone who is not a doctor can see the pattern of Trump’s behavior throughout his life, which is manifested in the behavior of “non-compliance with social norms and laws, repeated lies, reckless disregard for the safety of others, irritability, impulsiveness, irresponsibility and lack of remorse.”

 

 

 

The doctors explain that those suffering from “malignant narcissism” often derive joy from causing suffering to others. As an example, they mention the incident of the storming of Capitol Hill in Washington on January 6, 2021. “According to first-hand reports, Trump watched the violent events for three hours on ‘Simcha’ television, watching his favorite segments over and over again.”

Besides claims about his personality, the undersigned experts say that Trump also appears to be suffering from signs of cognitive decline, which require a full neurological examination, including an MRI and neuropsychological tests. According to them, these symptoms include: a dramatic decrease in verbal fluency, disorganized thinking, reduced vocabulary as well as confusion in people and impaired motor function. “If, as we suspect, Trump does indeed suffer from cognitive decline, it will only worsen over time, and greatly deteriorate his already impaired judgment, impulse control, memory, attention, reality check and the ability to process information.”

 

 

 

The signatories of the letter conclude and emphasize that malignant narcissism is a rare and dangerous condition. “Without a doubt, malignant narcissists have been the most grandiose, paranoid, and murderous leaders in history,” they write. “Inevitably, they escalate until they get out of control, and ultimately destroy themselves and the nations they lead.”