Peace & blessings ~ Molly
'We fear that too much is at stake to be silent any longer', say psychiatrists
Psychiatrists,
psychologists and social workers have signed an open letter warning Donald Trump’s mental state “makes him
incapable of serving safely as president”.
The
35 mental health professionals
said Mr Trump’s “words and behaviour suggest a profound inability to
empathise”.
The
President’s tendency to “distort reality” to fit his “personal myth of
greatness” and attack those who challenge him with facts was likely to increase
in a position of power, they added.
It
is usually frowned upon among psychiatrists to give a professional opinion of
the mental state of a public figure they have not examined in person, as
dictated by a passage in the American Psychiatric Association’s code of ethics
known as the Goldwater rule.
But
in a letter to the New York Times, the doctors said they had
decided it was necessary to break their silence on the matter because they
feared “too much is at stake”.
“This
silence has resulted in a failure to lend our expertise to worried journalists
and members of Congress at this critical time,” they wrote. “We fear that too
much is at stake to be silent any longer.”
The
letter continued: “Mr Trump’s speech and actions demonstrate an inability to
tolerate views different from his own, leading to rage reactions. His words and
behaviour suggest a profound inability to empathise.
“Individuals
with these traits distort reality to suit their psychological state, attacking
facts and those who convey them [journalists, scientists].
“In
a powerful leader, these attacks are likely to increase, as his personal myth
of greatness appears to be confirmed. We believe that the grave emotional
instability indicated by Mr. Trump’s speech and actions makes him incapable of
serving safely as president.”
Among
the letter’s signatories were Lance Dodes, a retired Harvard Medical
School assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, and Joseph Schachter, who
has held a senior position in the International Psychoanalytic Association.
A
growing number of mental health professionals and Senators of both parties have
expressed concern over Mr Trump’s psychological state.
Conservative
commentator Andrew Sullivan said the media should be seriously
discussing the
President’s mental health.
“To
have such an unstable figure, incapable of accepting reality, at the centre of
the world, is an extremely dangerous thing,” he told CNN.
“I
know we're not supposed to bring this up — but it is staring us brutally in the
face.”
Mr
Sullivan, who recently penned an article entitled 'The Madness of King Donald' in New
York Magazine, justified his comments by citing the President’s
incorrect claims of “thousands” of illegal voters and inaccurate crime
statistics.
Republican colleagues of Donald Trump have also
expressed concern about his mental health, a Democratic senator told
Associated Press.
Minnesota senator Al Franken said there is concern
among “a few” Republicans “that we all have this suspicion” that “he lies a
lot”. He added: “He says things that aren't true. That's the same as lying,
I guess.”
Please go here for the original article and video
interview: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-mental-health-new-york-times-incapable-being-president-warning-open-letter-a7578831.html
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