The time has come to say it: there is something psychologically wrong with the President.
The fuzzy outlines of President Trump's likely mental illness came into sharper focus this week: in two interviews with major networks, he revealed paranoia and delusion; he quadruple-downed on his fabrication that millions of people voted illegally, which demonstrated he is disconnected from reality itself; his petulant trade war with Mexico reveals that he values self-image even over national interest; his fixation with inaugural crowd size reveals a childish need for attention.
Partisans have been warning about Trump's craziness for months, but rhetoric from political opponents is easily dismissed; it's the water of the very swamp the President says he wants to drain.
But frightened by the President's hubris, narcissism, defensiveness, belief in untrue things, conspiratorial reflexiveness and attacks on opponents, mental health professionals are finally speaking out. The goal is not merely to define the Madness of King Donald, but to warn the public where it will inevitably lead.
"Narcissism impairs his ability to see reality," said Dr. Julie Futrell, a clinical psychologist, who, of course, added a standard disclaimer because she has never actually treated Trump. "So you can't use logic to persuade someone like that. Three million women marching? Doesn't move him. Advisers point out that a policy choice didn't work? He won't care. The maintenance of self-identity is the organizing principle of life for those who fall toward the pathological end of the narcissistic spectrum."
A little background: Shrinks don't typically analyze public figures. The reticence dates back to 1964, during Barry Goldwater's run for President. Then, like now, many shrinks believed that the candidate was psychologically damaged — but unlike now, many diagnosed him for a Fact magazine special issue titled, "The Unconscious of a Conservative: A Special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater."
The headline itself — "1,189 Psychiatrists say Goldwater is Psychologically Unfit to be President!" — prompted the American Psychiatric Association to issue the so-called "Goldwater Rule": "It is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination" of the patient in question.
As a result, shrinks are the only professionals who are not allowed to offer their expertise to journalists trying to explain complicated issues to the public. Indeed, scientists can tell us about global warming, engineers can tell us if a bridge is about to give way, and soldiers can tell us if an enemy is weak or strong. But the mental health of the President? The experts are handcuffed, even as we elected the most paranoid President since Nixon and, clearly, the most self-deluded and dangerous American political figure since Aaron Burr.
