Is Donald Trump Crazy?

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Photo credit: Shealah Craighead

President Donald J. Trump waves farewell at Robins Air Force Base, Ga. Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, as he boards Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Md.

Is Donald Trump crazy?

The Shrink Replies,

Good question. Crazy as in “mentally ill” or crazy “like a fox?” Whether you’re a trained mental health professional or just a casual observer, it’s fair to say he’s wired differently than most of us. Whether or not you’re a fan, his election victory rocked everyone’s world—a pleasant surprise for some, and a mind-boggling blindside hit to others.

What continues to rattle us, though, is the daily drip of information that shows us how he thinks and operates in life. So, “certifiably crazy” or not, the things happening these days sure feel “crazy-making.” What irony. He’s the one doing wacky things, and we feel as though we’re losing our minds.

In a 1964 survey of psychiatrists, a majority believed that Barry Goldwater (the Republican Party’s candidate for president that year) was mentally unstable and unfit to serve if elected. He won a defamation case against the journal that published the survey results. As a result, the American Psychiatric Association established a code of ethics (the “Goldwater Rule”), saying professionals shouldn’t diagnose people they haven’t actually evaluated personally.

In late 2017, however, a group of psychiatrists broke with that rule and published a book about their impressions of Donald Trump, their grave concerns about his overall mental health and the implications for our country (The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump). There’s not much in this book, however, that an observant layperson hasn’t already thought of, but it does validate that what we’re witnessing sure isn’t normal, and you’re not alone in worrying about his overall stability.

So, bottom line, is Trump crazy? You be the judge. Put on your own “Shrink Hat” and consider the following factors.

• Google antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders and find the criteria that professionals use to diagnose them. Many of them are spot-on when you consider what we’ve publicly observed. For example, narcissistic personalities are grandiose. They’re the center of the universe and have a way of making everything about them. Antisocial personalities (a.k.a. sociopaths), on the other hand, have a similar self-absorption but couldn’t care less about how that affects others, to the point of ruthless brutality and devious manipulation. You’ll see a pattern of chronic lying and brazen hurtfulness woven into their interactions. “Malignant narcissists” are jealous, petty, punishing, calculating, angry and intolerant of criticism. We’re technically not diagnosing here, but it isn’t a stretch to see that many of the criteria for these disorders are evident to some degree when we observe how Trump reveals himself to the world.

• What about immaturity or arrested emotional development? Think about the age of people who routinely call each other insulting offensive names. How old, generally speaking, are people who bully others? Who acts out when they don’t get their way or when others disagree with them? Who goes off in a corner, pouts and has tantrums? Beneath the bluster that Trump exhibits could be a scared, vulnerable child—emotionally crippled and ill-equipped for functioning in an adult world. The result of this is a shallow understanding of the world and reliance on things like the immediately gratifying release of tension and discomfort that, say, sending a tweet provides. Skills like logical thinking, reason, empathy and compromise that support sound leadership are sorely lacking.

• How about “gaslighting?” This is an abusive behavior in which someone repeatedly says things that are patently untrue but communicates them in a way that might cause some to question their own sanity. You know, like the assessment of the large crowds at Trump’s inauguration? Like the statements at press conferences that are consistently challenged by members of the press—who are, themselves, criticized and made to feel unpatriotic or oppositional for daring to dispute the “facts.” This is tear-your-hair-out-crazy if you ask me.

The most frequent adjective I hear people use when they describe Trump is “crazy.” Whether he’s truly suffering from a mental illness or pulling off the most brilliant con of all time, the result is the same for those of us who are living through this… historic time. The residual effects of his troubling manner disturb us to our core. The worst part of all of this is the sense that we’re doomed, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it.

So, it really doesn’t matter whether Trump is crazy or not. What matters is trying to find our own solace in the midst of this sea change. As those on the front line would remind us, only together can we create what’s needed to stop this madness. A good daily practice is to “be the change you wish to see in the world.” Good luck to us all.

On the Couch is written by a licensed mental health professional. Her advice is not meant as a substitute for mental health care.

Send your questions to onthecouch@shepex.com. Comment at shepherdexpress.com. n