First off, let me state: I am not a psychiatrist. I’m a career-long journalist, which might raise questions about my own mental state.
That said, I’ve been begging the news industry to say loudly and clearly that Donald Trump is mentally unhinged. That’s not a clinical diagnosis – it’s a holy-crap-he’s-got-the-nuclear-codes assessment.
I’m not mocking or trivializing mental illness. People who are unwell need empathy and treatment. But they don’t need to be president. And the media need to do their job and call out the danger. To prod them, this newsletter assesses Trump’s mental state against 14 signs and symptoms of mental illness as listed by the American Psychiatric Association:
Illogical thinking
The APA describes this as “unusual or exaggerated beliefs about personal powers to understand meanings or influence events; illogical or ‘magical’ thinking typical of childhood in an adult.” Among Trump’s delusions of grandeur: a social media post depicting him as Jesus Christ, and his claim that “I probably would’ve won all 50 [states] if we had an honest count.” There’s also this quote from a recent Time interview: “If I weren’t here, there wouldn’t be a Saudi Arabia. There wouldn’t be an Israel. There wouldn’t be various other countries also.” So, might Trump be mentally ill based on this indicator? YES.
Sleep or appetite changes
Trump’s sleep habits have long seemed strange, featuring torrents of social media posts in the middle of the night. But there’s no indication that’s a change, nor is there any sign Trump has changed his junk-food diet. So on this one, we’ll give him a NO.
Decline in personal care
Some people who have spent time with Trump complain about his body odor, but that’s not new (or proven), so we’ll give him another NO.
Mood changes
He does seem more distressed and quick to lash out at people. He even posted the cellphone number of longtime ally Sen. Tom Cotton over a policy disagreement. And his banning of CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House appeared to be a snap decision after he saw video clips criticizing him. So this one’s a YES.
Social withdrawal
We can only wish. NO.
Drop in functioning
His incompetence at running the government – including, but not limited to losing a war, creating a tariff fiasco, and hiring and firing a press secretary within five days – speaks to a disordered mind. YES.
Body pain
Trump’s secrecy about his health makes this impossible to assess, so we’ll say NO.
Problems thinking
That’s the APA’s exact wording: “problems thinking.” The organization explains that it means “problems with concentration, memory or logical thought and speech that are hard to explain.” I could list hundreds of examples, but here are a few: Trump referred to “the Islamic Republic of Japan,” said he wanted to drive home prices up, confused Greenland with Iceland, and said ”most people don’t know that dumb ends in a B.” After months of insisting that the total elimination of Iran’s missiles was a key war goal, he said, “They have to have some, because other people have some.” At a Medal of Honor ceremony, he veered into an extended monologue about the White House drapes and ballroom. So, YES. Definitely YES.
Increased sensitivity to sights, sounds, smells, or touch
Hard to know about this one, but there was a military flyover during Xi Jinping’s visit that didn’t faze the Chinese leader but caused Trump to flinch enough that it became a topic of discussion. Let’s say MAYBE.
Apathy
He said ”I don’t care” if Iran comes back to negotiations and “I don’t care about the Nobel Prize.” But he obviously does care, and his recent heavy schedule of rallies attests to his continued deep engagement. So, NO.
Feeling disconnected — a sense of unreality
Trump’s problem is slightly different. He has invented his own reality and demands that the entire country get connected to it. His “unreality” is real to him. So, NO.
Nervousness — fear or suspiciousness of others
He keeps telling us that large segments of society are out to get him, even Fox News. YES.
Odd, uncharacteristic, peculiar behavior
For a long time, Trump’s behavior has been characteristically odd, so it’s hard to address this indicator. Two years ago, he bizarrely swayed to music at a campaign rally for 39 minutes – an incident that the New York Times sanewashed as an “improvisational departure.” During that same campaign, Trump told a rally crowd that dead golfer Arnold Palmer had an impressive penis. But Trump keeps trying to top himself. Just last week, he told multiple crowds that he admired Sen. Jon Husted’s ass. Peculiar? YES.
Changes in school or work
He seems increasingly distracted by pet projects that people don’t care about, rather than things everyone cares about, such as inflation. The Reflecting Pool mess is one example of a blind alley he’s gone down. His threat to demolish the Kennedy Center is another. This is a YES.
Trump’s score:
“Yes” on seven mental illness indicators.
“No” on six.
“Maybe” on one.
The APA advises: “If several of the following are occurring, it may be useful to follow up with a mental health professional.”
Which means we need to get him out of office and into care. And we need to get the media to take the problem seriously.
This week’s media atrocity
The Status newsletter (behind a paywall, sorry) had a great takedown of media such as CBS and ABC for getting overly excited about Elon Musk’s “flying car” project. As Status points out, “Tesla is seeking as much as $250,000 to reserve a version of the car that never leaves the ground” and “the website’s fine print includes a disclaimer that the vehicle might not be delivered at all.”
What’s really happening at the Supreme Court?
Join COURIER and Americans United on October 20 for Weaponizing Faith: Christian Nationalism at the Supreme Court. Featuring Rachel Laser, Stasha M. Rhodes, Michael Podhorzer, and moderator Lisa Graves, this panel uncovers how political allies are reshaping our legal system and what we must do to reclaim it.
Attend in person at The Milton Theatre in D.C. or watch the live stream online. RSVP today!
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I'm not a medical professional either, but...
Re "Sleep changes" he falls asleep at meetings a lot more than before. So YES.
Re "personal care" his hair pieces have changed repeated lately. So YES.
Re "social withdrawal" he's nearly totally cloistered now and only speaks to his cult. So YES.
Re "apathy" he doesn't care about fallen soldiers, or anyone else. He doesn't even pretend to. So YES.
Re "feeling disconnected" come on, he's totally disconnected and his "unreality" changes by the minute. So that's a YES too.
inappropriate sexual behavior is a recognized sign of dementia. I think a male president of the us talking about the ass of a male senator qualifies as inappropriate.