Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Psychiatrists Are Now Allowed To Talk About Trump's Mental Illness

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In her "hot mic" moment with Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) late yesterday afternoon, Maine Senate Republican Susan Collins admitted that Trump is "crazy" and that she's "worried." A prominent psychologist told me this morning that Trump has "many diagnoses, including low IQ with likely some dementia due to neurological involvement and language disorder thrown in. And narcissistic personality disorder, conduct disorder, etc., etc. Quite a conglomeration." Joe Scarborough, looking at Trump, had said it slightly differently on his MSNBC morning show a few hours earlier:
July the 25th... circle it on your calendar. This guy is spinning wildly out of control. He's watching TV. I know... I know you never watch this show, Donald, but whatever show you're watching, it's making you crazy... [I]t's making you act crazy. So you really need to turn to SportsCenter. And you need to stop watching, because these tweets make you look really bad.
No news there. But there is news about Trumpanzee's mental health problems. The executive committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association told its 3,500 members they should not feel bound by a longstanding rule against commenting publicly on the mental state of public figures-- particularly Señor Trumpanzee. They emphasized that psychiatrists need to use their expertise responsibly today "since Trump’s behavior is so different from anything we’ve seen before" in a commander in chief.




The statement, an email this month from the executive committee of the American Psychoanalytic Association to its 3,500 members, represents the first significant crack in the profession’s decades-old united front aimed at preventing experts from discussing the psychiatric aspects of politicians’ behavior. It will likely make many of its members feel more comfortable speaking openly about President Trump’s mental health.

The impetus for the email was “belief in the value of psychoanalytic knowledge in explaining human behavior,” said psychoanalytic association past president Dr. Prudence Gourguechon, a psychiatrist in Chicago. “We don’t want to prohibit our members from using their knowledge responsibly.”

...An increasing number of psychologists and psychiatrists have denounced the restriction as a “gag rule” and flouted it, with some arguing they have a “duty to warn” the public about what they see as Trump’s narcissism, impulsivity, poor attention span, paranoia, and other traits that, they believe, impair his ability to lead.

Reporters, pundits, and government officials “have been stumbling around trying to explain Trump’s unusual behavior,” from his seemingly compulsive tweeting to his grandiosity, said Dr. Leonard Glass, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School. The rule against psychiatrists offering their analysis of the emotions, thought patterns, and beliefs underlying such behaviors, Glass said, robs the public “of our professional judgment and prevents us from communicating our understanding” of the president’s mental state.

Last week, in an essay in Psychiatric Times, Glass called the prohibition on such communication “an unacceptable infringement on my right and duty” to discuss issues “where the perspective of psychiatrists could be very relevant and enlightening.” He ended the essay by announcing his resignation from the American Psychiatric Association, which adopted the rule in 1973. He had been a member for 41 years.

Called the “Goldwater rule,” the prohibition on offering opinions about the mental state of public figures was adopted after some psychiatrists answered a 1964 survey on whether Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Republican presidential candidate that year, was mentally fit for the Oval Office. The rule states that it is unethical to offer a professional opinion about a public figure’s mental health, including the presence or absence of a disorder, without that person’s consent and without doing a standard examination. In March, the psychiatric association reaffirmed the rule.

The group acted despite growing criticism that the Goldwater rule is outdated and even unethical for preventing psychiatrists from pointing out behaviors that raise questions about a government official’s mental state. No other medical specialty has such a rule; cardiologists are not prohibited from offering their views of an official’s fainting spell, for instance, as long as they make clear that they have not examined the person.

Although opposition to the Goldwater rule has existed for years, it intensified with Trump’s candidacy and then election. In October, a book titled The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President will be published.

“When the book comes out, there will be renewed furor about the Goldwater rule, since it is precisely about what is wrong with him,” said psychiatrist Dr. Lance Dodes, a retired professor at Harvard Medical School who is now in private practice in Los Angeles.

A number of psychologists have spoken to reporters about what Trump’s statements and actions might reveal about his emotional and cognitive state. Although the American Psychological Association “prefers” that its members not offer opinions on the psychology of someone they have not examined, it does not have a Goldwater rule and is not considering implementing one, an official told STAT.

The psychoanalytic association went further. In its July 6 email, it explicitly stated for the first time that the organization does not subscribe to the rule. That position had been implicit for years, but the association’s “leadership has been extremely reluctant to make a statement and publicly challenge the American Psychiatric Association,” said one psychoanalytic association member who asked not to be publicly identified criticizing the other group.



And by the way, Rand Paul's straight ACA repeal bill failed today 55-45, with 7 Republicans crossing the aisle to vote with the Democrats. The Republicans who voted no were Lamar Alexander (TN), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Susan Collins (ME), Dean Heller (NV), John McCain (AZ), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Rob Portman (OH).

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4 Comments:

At 9:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ok, so the head shrinkers can now diagnose the emotional pygmy playing king of the earth. But will they? And for every one who gives it a legitimate effort, how many quacks will be paid for their fawning rebuttals... ala mooch offering his daily tongue baths for his bossbaby?

What I'd like to have seen in the interim is some real analyses of his intellect and of his dementia.

There exists shit-tons of video and audio of the little shitstain from as far back as one wants to look. And if you compare statements from the '90s to today, you see a remarkable degradation in lucidity, vocabulary, syntax and erudition. You also see a marked uptick in his grandiosity and delusions. Even compare his appearances on Letterman over the years and you see a gradual plunge.

Might be useful to have experts in all disciplines to all pile on. Not that his party cares. The quote attributed to him above is quite correct. Dumbest fucktards on the planet. Far too stupid to be allowed to help choose the government that can and does ratfuck everyone.

I wonder if the founders could possibly have conceived of such a colossally stupid populace.

 
At 1:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

You want crazy? How about neither party stepping up to do something about this cretin?

 
At 4:59 AM, Anonymous Hone said...

Yes, it is evident that the Trumpanzee is deteriorating and has been for years. At this stage, he is obviously irrational and delusional. He cannot retain facts, process complex information or think critically. His ability to attend, listen and concentrate is shot to hell. His language "word salad" is another indicator of decline. Recordings of his speech in the past show much more in tact language, with complexity and higher vocabulary. Trump's inability to read more than a page or two smacks of my mother's decline - she had Alzheimer's and eventually lost her ability to read. Was Trump able to read books in the past or was he always so impaired? I suspect he used to be able to read much longer pieces. This would be a highly significant symptom of mental deterioration. Any professional worth his salt would recommend a full neurological exam. Yet his "deranged" doctor says he is the healthiest President in history!

To Anonymous above, you stated what most of America is thinking: why aren't the Republicans doing anything about this absolutely horrific situation? Ummm, because they don't care as long as they think they can push through their equally horrific agenda? Not only is Trump's mental health quite poor, his devastating involvement with Russia and likely criminal activities on an international scale do not seem to bother them much. He keeps on with it, too, giving our country the finger. What a rotten person!!!! His most recent pick for the head of the criminal division of the Justice Department worked for Alfa Bank through June, which had hinky contacts with Trump's campaign. Everyone around Trump is in with Russia.

 
At 6:17 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

1:17, the democraps are irrelevant. They couldn't do anything even if they wanted to. And they've (Pelosi) already vowed to NOT DO anything should they win a majority in '18.

For Rs, it's tribe first, hate second and good governance last, if at all.

You need to re-watch "Weekend at Bernie's".

 

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