'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.”


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-mental...

“To have such an unstable figure, incapable of accepting reality, at the centre of the world, is an extremely dangerous thing,”

greggerypeccary wrote on Feb 14^th, 2017 at 9:11pm:


How many Twitter followers do they have?

Please.

so if charles manson wanted to run..no one could stop him..

Trump had sexual assaults/rape allegations against him huge questions over his taxes..and still he was considered to be fit to run...what has the US come too.

Agnes wrote on Feb 14^th, 2017 at 9:27pm:


I blame Islam, but that's just me.

Mortdooley wrote on Feb 14^th, 2017 at 11:08pm:


Well said!

Furthermore. Trump is starting to drain the swamp and the establishment, enablers and minions are panicking. Senior figures are being named and in desperation they are trying to find anything to throw at Trump. The more the noose tightens the more their voices become shriller.

What pizzagate is exposing is just to disgusting to believe - only an inquiry will clear the air.

Only the guilty fear exposure.

Richdude wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 12:50am:


That you believe in Pizzagate and that it is even real is all the evidence to prove that like TRump, you are mentally incompetent. It is COMPLETE GARBAGE with zero actual evidence... and yet you believe it.  It is the Bowling Green Massacre of Pedo Rings.  NON-EXISTENT.

longweekend58 wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 7:52am:



Paedophiles are probably loving pizzagate at the moment, in the sense that it diverts everyones attention away from whats really happening.

The attacks being made against Trump seem to be no different to the Obama birtha attacks or Clinton parkinsons. What's next, Trump is a lizard person?

Gordon wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 8:42am:




No, the birth attacks had nothing to do with his ability. Every Trump attack does.

aquascoot wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 8:47am:


That's true, Aquascoot. It's a belief Trump promoted in his book, the Art of the Deal.

You can ONLY get rich by cheating the system.

another attempt at 'psycho-analysis'. how many is this now, 10,000? it didn't work the first or 10,000nth time. why would it work now? i've said it many times, lefties need to reflect on what it is they stand for and their approach in convincing others of their standpoints. their current approach has fizzled out - people have had enough of the smug, derogatory slogans.

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 11:19am:


Beautiful   

"Just remember, Donald: if you don't know, it's okay to ask".

"Tif - an - ny"

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 10:37am:


Good point, Mistie. Your current approach is to say whatever it takes in your self-declared war against the leftists. It's gloves off, remember? Game on. Porkies, slur, whatever it takes.

I could provide a quote here too.

And Bumble bees are incapable of flying, so the experts say.

Donald Trump IS the President.

NorthOfNorth wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 11:35am:


the conservative side already know how. the left, however, don't.

aquascoot wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 12:12pm:



Are you only just learning that Trump has cheated people all along the way? He underpays works, imports cheap materials and refuses to pay contractors and even admitted to it in the debates while saying that 'you should have made laws that stopped me'.

A report yesterday referring to how businessmen only ever do a deal with trump ONCE. No body comes back for seconds after dealing with this scumbag.

Big Donger wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 11:37am:


Go on then.

Sprintcyclist wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 11:59am:



The rightfully elected President of The United States of America.

Richdude wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 2:48pm:


And Trump, as we know, is rich but dishonest. He covers this in his book, the Art of the Deal. His Ghostwriter calls it "truthful hyperbole".

Quote:


It's not a quote, Rich, it's a belief. Something tells me you don't disagree with it either.

greggerypeccary wrote on Feb 15^th, 2017 at 6:27pm:



worst polls of any president at this stage... EVER.


The only real surprise is that he can still muster 40%. My guess is if that he is still in office by end of year, it will be 20% or below.

longweekend58 wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 9:17am:



Indeed.

And let's not forget, as unpopular as Hillary was, 3 million more people voted for her.

And, Trump's inauguration had the lowest turnout ever.

The fact is, he's never been very popular, and the numbers are just getting worse.

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 9:59am:


You mean the polls that predicted Clinton would easily out-vote Trump... and were right?  It is only the DISTRIBUTION of votes that got Trump in the WH, not a majority.

And yes, like it or not, Trumps popularity is plummetting as it was always going to do. After the incredible stuffups on a daily basis the only surprise is that he is as high as 40%

longweekend58 wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 12:06pm:


No.

There were many polls from states other than california that "proved" clinton was a shoo.in.  In case you forgot, without cslifornia trump won the populat vote by much more than a million votes.

The problem was, the polls werent wrong, they were stacked - every time Trumps numbers got higher, the size of the democrat sample was increased .  It wasnt unusual to see samples of dem +25.  All the talk of "nobody seeing it coming" are rubbish - the pollsters saw it, but thought the power of propaganda could change it.  They were nearly right.

This was no accident - it was intentional deception, and even when it was pointed out, you losers didnt reassess, you doubled down. 

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 12:16pm:



ah so now every poll you dont like - which is all of them - are fake news as well? Wait until Fox News comes out and gives similar results, then what?

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 12:50pm:


As someone who actually studies mathematical Statistics at university level, an explanation is not difficult. But there are two problems.

1) you would not be able to understand the explanation and
2) you wouldnt believe the explanation anyhow.

Ahh yes, longys infamous mathematics abilities.

The first thing to realise is...

USA has voluntary voting and so people who are polled may not vote and this increases the margin of error significantly.

USA is very much a collection of states with very different election laws and very different political cultures. To get all that in one polling set is hard.

Polling is an ESTIMATE at best and there is a margin of error that has to be considered


The polls predicted a large margin in the lead for clinton - and were correct. The actual distribution of those votes is the hard part and in this case, tipped the result the other way.



and you neither accept nor understand it.   All you see is a polling prediction in error and so rather than infer mistake you infer deception and fake news.

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 3:55pm:




nice debunking... of nothing at all. 

You answer NO questions. you ofFer NO explanations.  All you do is (literally) mindlessly swallow everything trump says and does without a moment's consideration of accuracy or truth.

The polls were wrong. So what? Do you think this is the first time in history polls ahve been wrong?  They are ALWAYS wrong. the important bit is HOW wrong.

You know nothing, understand nothing and think not at all. I can get the same results from a parrot as from you.

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 4:58pm:



Trump has been President less than 4 weeks and in that time he has had several resignations, more scandals and demonstrations of sheer incompetence that most President have in an entire term.  Even REpublicans are very concerned about Trump inability to tell the truth.

TRUMP IS INCAPABLE OF BEING PRESIDENT

A report in the Wall Street journal claims US intelligence officials are witholding sensitive information from Trump because it could be leaked or compromised. And thats it in a nutshell Trump cannot be trusted.

I'm actually glad that Trump won the election, for two reasons.

1) I don't particularly like Hillary, and I don't think she would have been a good President.

2) It's going to be such a joy watching Trump's fall from grace.

Before he became POTUS, his eventual fall was only going to break a few bones.

As a mediocre businessman, he was only falling from base camp, to use a Mt Everest analogy.

Now, however, he's falling from the summit, and it's going to be fatal.

It couldn't have worked out better.

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 6:17pm:


When your security agencies cant trust the President its time for Trump to go.

Johnnie wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 6:25pm:



I wonder if the Slovenian hooker will eventually accuse him of rape, like all the rest.

oh dear wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 6:31pm:


Then what?

But what if the media then reports that the "intelligence community" doesn't like him either?

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 6:41pm:


Its not a personality contest its a question of doing whats expected. when the security agencies are unwilling to share info that is a concern as a direct result of Trumps actions.

oh dear wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 7:07pm:


Uhuh.

I personally reckon it could be because of the relentless smear campaign that's been running against him for over a year now, and/or the fact that they operate in the shadows that he was elected on a platform of illuminating.  Maybe it's not even real at all. 

But yeah, lets imagine we're in a world where none of that matters - who is he governing for -  The people or the intelligence community? 
What has the "intelligence community" done to earn your trust?

Condemnation for american adventurism have been pretty bipartisan since the turn of the century - why are you now happy - nay, begging - for them to control the worlds superpower?

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 7:15pm:


Trump is a conman the media have simply reported the facts thats not a smear campaign thats the truth

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 7:24pm:


You have to use your own judgement I wouldnt trust anything Brietbart Fox Alex Jones etc

oh dear wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 7:30pm:


Why not? Most are on Trump's payroll - now the US government's payroll.

Why on earth would they lie?

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 7:40pm:


can you link me something to show the collusion?

I had a look Honky I dont find those sources credible.

And that raises a question for me Assange has made very powerful enemiesI think it is an act of a desperate man I dont see anything but Assange living his life within the Educador embassy

... wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 8:43pm:


The FBi investigated and cleared Hillary

oh dear wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 8:52pm:


No, the FBI found ample evidence of criminal wrong doing and refused to Prosecute! Hillary is a very vindictive and cruel person, if she had won all those who wanted to go forward with charges would have been the first to feel her wrath! People who stand in the way of what she wants sometimes end up dead.

Seven pages of rants so far and all I see are posts by people who pick which sources to believe and call it the truth.

The “deep state” is jargon for the semi-hidden army of bureaucrats, officials, retired officials, legislators, contractors and media people who support and defend established government policies.

Those “deep state” officials include the intelligence, law-enforcement and national security officials who worked in President Barack Obama’s administration but who are still working in permanent or temporary positions in the White House and in surrounding agencies. Many of those officials are believed to be leaking information from within the White House to allies in the anti-Trump media,

The US has been suffering the "death of a thousand cuts" for over fifty years and those doing the cutting are afraid they have just lost that power. For the first time it appears Government will be forced to shrink rather then grow. They demonized the Tea Party before Trump, anyone for less regulation and smaller government is a threat to them. Trump was elected because of the two faced hypocrisy that left so many feeling victimized by their own country! That hypocrisy is evident, both sides are not held to the same standard.      

Anti-Trump Hysteria: What is the Establishment Afraid Of?

by Emmet Scott

To describe the media reaction to Donald’s Trump’s victory as hysterical is almost an understatement. The relentless demonization of the man, in newspapers, on television, on the internet, among politicians, among Hollywood celebrities and among academics, is truly without precedent. Look at a newspaper or log onto the internet and you’ll immediately be faced with a barrage of screaming headlines telling you how horrible the guy is. It really is weird.

You don’t have to be a genius to figure out that the establishment is angling for some way — any way — to get rid of Trump. There is no question, for example, that they have created and are creating a climate of hate which could well lead to his assassination. Failing that, it seems that they’d like to trigger some form of general uprising, with the aim of making the country ungovernable and thereby facilitating a legal process to force his resignation. Their motto seems to be: Whatever it takes, get rid of him.

This is all very good news for those who voted for Trump on the understanding that he was not just another establishment puppet: that he was his own man, a man who would represent the interests of the working people for whom he spoke during the campaign and who eventually put him into the White House.

But how to explain the establishment’s almost deranged hatred? There is no question that some vested interests will be harmed by his policies. Legislation against outsourcing of jobs abroad will unquestionably cut profits for many of the multinational corporations. On the other hand, his promise to massively cut Obama-era regulations has the potential to provide a great boost to industry and to profits — as stock market optimism in the immediate aftermath of his election would suggest. And if his promise to put an end to America’s wars abroad has alarmed the arms manufacturers, his promise to massively increase America’s military strength should certainly allay their fears. He has, to date (unfortunately) made no sign of ending the alliance with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, the biggest consumers of American-made military hardware.

So the men with the big money will probably not be harmed by his government; they might even prosper. Yet these are the very people who hate him: The useful idiots protesting and rioting in the streets have been goaded into action by media hysteria. And the media is the establishment (Not that the protesters are themselves members of the working classes: The great majority are students and state-employed ‘professionals’ of one sort or another).

Whence, then, comes the hatred? Left-wing ideology — specifically gender-driven left-wing ideology — is certainly behind a lot of it. The protesters and the media are not so much worried about loss of welfare benefits or any other economic issue as they are about abortion and LGBT ‘rights’ — which they fear will be eroded under Trump. A recent article by Gavin McInnis, entitled “Normalizing Degeneracy” has pointed out that several of the organizers of anti-Trump demonstrations have convictions for pedophile offences. In McInnis’ opinion, these and many others of Trump’s opponents wish to continue the cultural revolution ongoing under the Obama administration, tear down the last vestiges of Christian morality, and legalize all forms of deviance, including pedophilia.

I believe that McInnis is right; that most of the opposition to Trump has nothing whatsoever to do with traditional left-wing concerns, such as working-class poverty, and is almost entirely driven by sexual and sex-related issues. His opponents fear losing the culture-war gains they made under Obama. However, I would suggest that many members of the establishment have, in addition, something very personal to fear from the Trump administration: For it would appear that some of America’s most powerful people have been involved in activities which if brought into the public forum would utterly destroy them, not only professionally, but also personally.

For many years now rumors about a massive pedophile ring operating among the upper echelons of the Hollywood elite have been rife. That such a network does exist has been confirmed by several of the world’s most respected child (or former child) actors. The televised testimony of Corey Feldman, for one, can be viewed by anyone on YouTube; whilst similar statements have been made by Elijah Wood and several others, and it is fairly clear that sexual abuse of children in Hollywood has been a problem for many years — one that has been continually brushed under the carpet by an extremely powerful elite. Only occasionally have perpetrators been accused in public — as was Roman Polanski in 1977 — and even less commonly have such persons been brought to justice.

Don't you just (....) all this obfuscation and BS.???

Good grief... its like a c-grade sci-fi movie. The President is a traitor. He was a traitor on prime time news .. 
Prior to his utterly bogus election he called on Mr Putin and Russian hackers to get into Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

It is right there in front of your f'n faces and you can STILL argue about it?
If he lasts 6 months Americans have a lot to be ashamed of.

Richdude wrote on Feb 17^th, 2017 at 3:14am:

Richdude wrote on Feb 17^th, 2017 at 3:14am:



It is fascinating watching you and your fellow Trumpoids in action. You deny absolutely anything and everything that you do not like and conversely swallow any BS that serves your beliefs and purpose.  You are quite literally, a fool.

Mortdooley wrote on Feb 16^th, 2017 at 10:32pm:


Then why hasn't she been prosecuted since the results came in?

If, as you say, they had ample evidence why, 3 months after election night, the FBI haven't gone after her?

I think people wanted to save America's 20 trillion dollar economy so they can land an Astronaut onto Mars in 2035 first (like the moon in '69). 

Personally, I don't mind at all to have Trump. Even as a leftwinger, I'm even thankful for him.

When I look at all the protesters and do-little losers. I'm glad for him to be "our" president, if that's the way we see him.
He's one pretty tough hombre, especially for the oldest president to take office. I think we need him to be saying the things he's saying.

We're far too accustomed to, and accepting of political lies. Bring it now, before our next generation needs to suffer with it.

There needs to come an end to this bs. Us plebs are unable now to fight anymore lest there be a revolution.

Interesting times. See what happens.