# Mental health **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 15, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046 "2016-09-15T22:34:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/21 "2016-09-16T03:21:46Z")
I think sociopath, not psychopath. He lacks any empathy for others, and understands nothing except what he wants. The truth doesn’t matter because reality is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/22 "2016-09-16T03:32:30Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > I thought he was on his third marriage because he sees women as sex-toys, arm-candy, and status symbols, and as soon as Current Wife starts losing her looks she gets dumped for a newer model. I thought that was one of the reasons American women loathe him. And he finds women who are willing to put his with all his crap in exchange for publicity, and getting into the country. Here’s the United Methodist Church’s stance on (among other things) separation of church and state - one reason why the pastor interrupted his speech yesterday in Flint. > **[Social Principles: The Political Community](https://www.umc.org/en/content/social-principles-the-political-community)** > > We support structures in the church and in civil society that honor the basic freedoms and rights of all human beings and protect God’s creation. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/23 "2016-09-16T05:57:29Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > I think sociopath, not psychopath. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/24 "2016-09-16T14:22:22Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The thing is, just because you hang a psychological term on it doesn’t change what everyone already knows. Trump is a loud mouth bullshitting braggart. Do really imagine some doctor can walk in and say “sorry, that’s in the DSM. You can’t be President”? I agree with what I think you’re saying, but I’m not quite sure what that is, so maybe not. IMO the concept of naming mental illnesses has skewed people’s thinking, so that all sorts of not-completely-standard personalities have gotten names to them which makes people think those who have them are “officially” nuts. In reality, the line between normal and mentally ill is not only very blurry but also highly subjective. IMO, Trump is at the core your typical loudmouth blathering buffoon. But what makes him worse than the typical LBB is that he’s been very rich and very successful for a long time, which reinforces this mentality. He doesn’t have a boss, colleagues etc. to bring him back to earth every once in a while, so he keeps at it, getting worse and worse over time. You can call it this or that type of personality disorder, but that doesn’t add or change anything. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/25 "2016-09-16T14:27:46Z")
Y’all are analyzing the mental health of the wrong side of the equation. What about the mental health of a political party that thinks that if it takes a loud mouth bullshitting braggart to gain the power it craves, then it will get behind that loud mouth bullshitting braggart? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/26 "2016-09-16T14:35:50Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [That’s it!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeFGda8l4I) At least as far as my friend is concerned. It also sounds very much like Trump. > > But what about the alleged inability to remember statements, even when those statements are quoted to him verbatim or shown to him on video? Would that be an aspect of NPD, where he does remember but denies it? Or does he really not remember, and is that a sign of dementia? Lies are very difficult to remember, particularly when you tell so many of them. He’s created an unsustainable fiction of a life by telling people and groups different versions of the truth. It’s no wonder that he can’t remember what he has said to whom. And I agree with the notion that he is a high-functioning sociopath, as defined [here](http://www.mcafee.cc/Bin/sb.html). But he’s firmly in the realm of the narcissistic disorder and not the antisocial personality disorder. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/27 "2016-09-16T14:38:18Z")
I don’t know if Trump is a [sociopath or psychopath](http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/02/12/differences-between-a-psychopath-vs-sociopath/). He does seem to have narcissistic personality disorder. What made me wonder, in the OP, about Alzheimer’s or other dementia, is how he ‘misremembers’ or ‘forgets’ things. They man is 70, after all. I don’t know which is worse: That he’s deliberately and blatantly lying, or he’s losing his short-term memory. As far as the mental health of the people who support him, I don’t think they suffer from anything a layman such as myself would think to look for in the DSM. I think that they just like someone who supports their prejudices and beliefs. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/28 "2016-09-16T14:41:33Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > As far as the mental health of the people who support him, I don’t think they suffer from anything a layman such as myself would think to look for in the DSM. I think that they just like someone who supports their prejudices and beliefs. I’m not talking about the people at the bottom who don’t know any better-I’m talking about the people at the top who _do_-the ones in power that know he isn’t good for the party but get behind him because…power. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/29 "2016-09-16T15:48:34Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Is it possible that Trump is suffering from some form of [dementia](http://www.alz.org/dementia/types-of-dementia.asp)? Fred Trump, DJ’s father, died of late-onset Alzheimer’s (pretty much the worst, most severe kind). It’s got hereditary characteristics, and symptoms are typically seen beginning in the mid-60s. There’s not much question that Trump has a whole laundry list of issues and NPD seems to be the most accurate primary Dx, but a lot of his behavior of the last few years looks a lot like early dementia as well. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/30 "2016-09-16T15:53:18Z")
I don’t quite get it. If any other 70 year man started talking in public about dating his daughter, or patting her butt on stage, or what a great figure she has, never mind all the statements he “can’t remember” or denies even when faced with video evidence- I would think he’d be under medical supervision "cause Dad’s gotten a bit weird. " but his family is cheering him on! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/31 "2016-09-16T15:55:53Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > I don’t quite get it. If any other 70 year man started talking in public about dating his daughter, or patting her butt on stage, or what a great figure she has, never mind all the statements he “can’t remember” or denies even when faced with video evidence- I would think he’d be under medical supervision "cause Dad’s gotten a bit weird. " but his family is cheering him on! He is their ticket to fame and riches. This also explains the actions of his new adopted family, the Republican Party. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/32 "2016-09-16T15:57:39Z")
Is now a good time to point out that we generally don’t diagnose people through a TV set? Mental health is really tricky. Trump’s an asshole. He’s forgetful. He lies a lot. You know who else that applies to? Me half the time. For all we know, it could all just be an act. It’s probably not indicative of mental degeneration. Even professional psychiatrists are ethically bound not to diagnose patients they have not met, and will face sanctions if they do (the “Goldwater Rule”). Most of us ain’t even psychiatrists. This is a bad idea. I ran into this exact same thread over on another forum… Except it was for Clinton. Now please stop making me defend Donald Trump. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/33 "2016-09-16T16:07:50Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is now a good time to point out that we generally don’t diagnose people through a TV set? Mental health is really tricky. Trump’s an asshole. He’s forgetful. He lies a lot. You know who else that applies to? Me half the time. For all we know, it could all just be an act. It’s probably not indicative of mental degeneration. Even professional psychiatrists are ethically bound not to diagnose patients they have not met, and will face sanctions if they do (the “Goldwater Rule”). Most of us ain’t even psychiatrists. This is a bad idea. I ran into this exact same thread over on another forum… Except it was for Clinton. > > Now please stop making me defend Donald Trump. None of us are professional psychiatrists (that I know of, in this thread). We are speculating and discussing. You lie a lot and are forgetful? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/34 "2016-09-16T16:15:30Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > You lie a lot and are forgetful? Well, certainly not at the scale or scope of Trump’s lying, but if my boss asks me what I’ve been doing the past half an hour on a slow day, I’m not going to tell him, “Talking to people in a chatroom dedicated to hypnosis and trance”. And yeah, I am _really_ forgetful. Is this indicative of some sort of mental disorder? I have no idea. I kinda doubt it. But you guys, given just the information I choose to put out there on my own, could never tell. Even if I was a celebrity. That’s sort of the point. How much of Charlie Sheen’s famous meltdown was him being a truly broken man, and how much of it was him slipping into a role he was comfortable with and playing to people’s preconceptions? You can’t diagnose someone who you’ve never come into contact with just on the basis of their outward appearance. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/35 "2016-09-16T17:25:14Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Well, certainly not at the scale or scope of Trump’s lying, but if my boss asks me what I’ve been doing the past half an hour on a slow day, I’m not going to tell him, “Talking to people in a chatroom dedicated to hypnosis and trance”. And yeah, I am _really_ forgetful. Is this indicative of some sort of mental disorder? I have no idea. I kinda doubt it. But you guys, given just the information I choose to put out there on my own, could never tell. Even if I was a celebrity. That’s sort of the point. How much of Charlie Sheen’s famous meltdown was him being a truly broken man, and how much of it was him slipping into a role he was comfortable with and playing to people’s preconceptions? You can’t diagnose someone who you’ve never come into contact with just on the basis of their outward appearance. Would you continue to lie if your boss produced evidence that you were in that chat room? I’m forgetful too. That’s why I don’t lie all that much (well, not the only reason).I don’t trust my memory to call forth whatever falsehood I tried before. Easier to be honest. Is my bad memory the result of my diagnosed ADD? Yeah, maybe. The concern I have is not just the inappropriate remarks - hey, let’s talk about penis size!- but also the “spin” he maintains even in the face of evidence to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/36 "2016-09-16T18:50:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > [That’s it!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPeFGda8l4I) At least as far as my friend is concerned. It also sounds very much like Trump. > > But what about the alleged inability to remember statements, even when those statements are quoted to him verbatim or shown to him on video? Would that be an aspect of NPD, where he does remember but denies it? Or does he really not remember, and is that a sign of dementia? Pathological lying to make yourself look better, and being unfazed when someone calls you out on a lie are common symptoms among people with NPD. It isn’t dementia, it is because the person with NPD has such a fragile ego that they can delude themselves to maintain the self image they have built. FWIW, NPD is hard to treat and the most common therapy for people who know someone with NPD is to cut them out of your life. That will be hard to do if/when Trump becomes president. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/37 "2016-09-16T19:18:17Z")
It’s not that Donald Trump has a mental issue it’s that he’s a [New Yorker](http://blog.dilbert.com/post/149983115751/why-trump-doesnt-scare-me). ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/38 "2016-09-16T20:59:50Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is now a good time to point out that we generally don’t diagnose people through a TV set? Mental health is really tricky. Trump’s an asshole. He’s forgetful. He lies a lot. You know who else that applies to? Me half the time. For all we know, it could all just be an act. It’s probably not indicative of mental degeneration. Even professional psychiatrists are ethically bound not to diagnose patients they have not met, and will face sanctions if they do (the “Goldwater Rule”). Most of us ain’t even psychiatrists. This is a bad idea. I ran into this exact same thread over on another forum… Except it was for Clinton. > > Now please stop making me defend Donald Trump. You don’t have to be a psychiatrist to be able to read the DSM and arrive at the conclusions stated above. I read one article about actual psychologists who are using YouTube videos of Trump speeches to demonstrate a classic case of narcissism disorder to students. It’s not one or two symptoms that make the case on Trump. He demonstrates the whole panoply of behaviors that strongly indicates a disorder. What do you think his response would be if another world leader called him a “son of a whore”, as the Philippine president recently called Obama? The slightest hint of criticism sends this guy off the deep end. I can only imagine what his response would be if he wielded huge power. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/39 "2016-09-16T21:17:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > You don’t have to be a psychiatrist to be able to read the DSM and arrive at the conclusions stated above. I read one article about actual psychologists who are using YouTube videos of Trump speeches to demonstrate a classic case of narcissism disorder to students. It’s not one or two symptoms that make the case on Trump. He demonstrates the whole panoply of behaviors that strongly indicates a disorder. What do you think his response would be if another world leader called him a “son of a whore”, as the Philippine president recently called Obama? The slightest hint of criticism sends this guy off the deep end. I can only imagine what his response would be if he wielded huge power. You’re right. I don’t understand why we even bother having schools, residency and board entry exams. Or why these so called “licensed experts” bother meeting people in person. Everyone can just read the DSM to diagnose friends, neighbors and public figures. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046/40 "2016-09-16T21:28:39Z")
I object to Duterte’s use of ‘son of a whore’, because I’ve been using it for about three decades. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mental-health/766046.md?page=3)