A Mental Health Counselor ’s Views on Speculations About President Trump’s Mental Health

Speculations about the mental health of U.S. presidents is not new and they have sometimes been justified. After he left office, it was learned that during the Watergate crisis Richard Nixon was depressed, drinking excessively and taking Valium, and talking to portraits of former presidents in the White House. President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after his second term, but it is assumed that he was afflicted with the progressive illness while he was still in office. All presidents have probably been called “crazy” in the colloquial sense by their political enemies. And some presidents have suffered from real mental illnesses, especially depression. For example, President Lincoln had a history of severe depression which was called melancholia in his era. Mental illness, as in the case of Lincoln’s depression, can be a strength and does not necessarily preclude one from being an effective president. However, this is not the prevailing view with regard to those who speculate that Trump has a mental illness. Claims that Trump is mentally ill and therefore unfit for office are ubiquitous. The frequency and nature of these claims are unprecedented for a U.S. president in modern history and perhaps ever. There have been calls for Trump to be administered a neuropsychiatric evaluation, involuntarily if need be, and for the 25th amendment to be invoked. In this article, I review speculations about President Trump’s mental health, share my views of these s...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Celebrities Memory and Perception Mental Health and Wellness Minding the Media Policy and Advocacy Professional Psychology Stigma armchair diagnosis Cognitive Decline Conspiracy Theorist delusional behavior Dementia Denial Dona Source Type: blogs