Mental Health Experts:
Why the Next Four Months Could Be Really Dangerous
By
Alan D. Blotcky and John M. Talmadge
As Mitt Romney tweeted, “Unprecedented historic corruption: an American president commutes the sentence of a person convicted by a jury of lying to shield that very president.”
So the president of
the United States takes action to help his buddy, a convicted felon, but he
cannot take decisive steps to combat the coronavirus pandemic and save lives.
This is an act of corruption of the highest order. And this is an example of Trump’s mental disorder and a stark preview of his unraveling over the next four months leading up to the November election.
This is an act of corruption of the highest order. And this is an example of Trump’s mental disorder and a stark preview of his unraveling over the next four months leading up to the November election.
Heading to the November
election, Trump’s mental disorder will continue to unravel in the face of mounting
pressures and stress.
Now, Trump has found a
new foil and is attacking Anthony Fauci, a highly respected public health
expert.
Dr. Fauci has served in five presidential administrations. He relies on data and science. Trump trying to discredit Dr. Fauci is a desperate attempt to blame him for Trump’s own catastrophic handling of the deadly pandemic.
Dr. Fauci has served in five presidential administrations. He relies on data and science. Trump trying to discredit Dr. Fauci is a desperate attempt to blame him for Trump’s own catastrophic handling of the deadly pandemic.
And it is another
reflection of the gravity of his mental disorder.
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| Part of Trump's mental deterioration are these numbers |
He is faced with falling poll numbers, a ferocious and ignored pandemic, an economic recession that he caused, a damaging tell-all book by his niece and defeats by the Supreme Court.
Trump’s
responses: rants, tweets, lies, whining, conspiracy theories, threats,
scapegoating, corruption, feeling
victimized, stubbornness. The list goes on and on.
Since taking
office, Trump’s mental
disorder has been in full display. Story after story has been
written about his grandiose view of himself; his 20,000 lies to the American
people, his bullying, his vindictiveness, his unprecedented breaking of norms,
his reckless
behavior, his total lack of empathy, his use of
projection, his refusal to accept responsibility for his
actions and his corruption.
All combined, these
symptoms and characteristics and behaviors constitute a mental disorder that is
serious and debilitating. And the only way to change a personality disorder is
with ongoing
treatment, especially psychotherapy.
Cognitive Issues, Too
Added to his
personality pathology is the strong likelihood of Trump’s cognitive
decline. His vocabulary range has narrowed. His abstract thinking is limited. His reasoning is shallow. He is unfocused. He has difficulty processing complex information. His decision-making is impaired.
His judgment is poor.
He often appears listless and apathetic. He repeats simple words and phrases
over and over. He cannot shift and adapt. His gait can be abnormal.
He had trouble drinking a glass of water with one hand.
He had trouble drinking a glass of water with one hand.
Trump’s cognitive
decline could be reflective of dementia; such cognitive problems gradually get
worse, not better.
Heading to the
November election, Trump’s mental disorder will continue to unravel in the face
of mounting pressures and stress. He will become increasingly erratic, unstable
and desperate.
His display of power
and corruption may not be hidden any longer. He will take great measures to
suppress voter turnout.
He will incite racism
and a culture war. He
will blame and scapegoat others. He will engage in escalating rants, tweets,
name-calling, accusations, overt threats, projections, bullying, lies,
gaslighting, triangulation, obstruction
and whining.
His thinking,
reasoning, decision-making and judgment will continue to wane.
The next four months
will be unnerving and unsettling for sure. Trump is unraveling before our eyes.
Alan D. Blotcky,
Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Birmingham,
Ala. He is clinical associate professor, Department of Psychology,
University of Alabama at Birmingham.
John M. Talmadge, MD,
is clinical professor of psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern
Medical Center in Dallas. He is also Senior Medical Advisor, The Center for
BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.