# Trump's neurological health - a rational discussion please **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [July 2, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379 "2019-07-02T03:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/241 "2019-12-23T15:08:14Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He can’t hide out like Woodrow Wilson did for the last 2 years of his time in office. Or permanently, like [Dave](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106673/)… ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/242 "2019-12-23T15:22:05Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He can’t hide out like Woodrow Wilson did for the last 2 years of his time in office. When Wilson was difficult to communicate with and Mrs. Wilson would come out of the room and say, “The President’s will is…”? I didn’t know that went on for very long. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/243 "2019-12-23T17:04:05Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > He can’t hide out like Woodrow Wilson did for the last 2 years of his time in office. Or Reagan. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/244 "2019-12-23T19:11:51Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Or Reagan. I know Reagan lost it later in life, but surely not while he was in office. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2019, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/245 "2019-12-23T20:51:47Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I know Reagan lost it later in life, but surely not while he was in office. People have been discussing this since he was in office. I don’t have any information one way or the other, but it was widely speculated that Reagan was not compos mentis during his second term. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/246 "2019-12-23T23:24:45Z")
People knew about Wilson’s health issues around 4 months after his serious stroke but that was his last year in office so there was no real movement to get him to quit or force him out. He thought about running again in 1920 for a 3rd term but the Dems said they would not support him. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/247 "2019-12-24T05:10:28Z")
Snopes says that there is no evidence of Alzheimer’s onset during Reagan’s time in office: > **[Did Ronald Reagan Have Alzheimer's Disease While in Office?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ronald-reagan-alzheimers-disease/)** > > It has long been rumored that President Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's Disease years before it was diagnosed in 1994, five years after he left office. Lists it as “Unproven”. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/248 "2019-12-24T15:52:40Z")
Found this online: The Mayo Clinic describes narcissistic personality disorder as “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.” Mayo further explains that “beneath this mask of extreme confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.” ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/249 "2019-12-24T17:37:37Z")
NPD is a liberal media HOAX and conspiracy because they’re not prepared for the very stable genius of Trump! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/250 "2019-12-24T17:43:42Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > NPD is a liberal media HOAX and conspiracy because they’re not prepared for the very stable genius of Trump! No, YOU’RE the narcissist! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2019, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/251 "2019-12-26T20:14:19Z")
Psychiatrist says Trump shows 3 signs of mental problems > **[Psychiatry expert says Trump's rambling Merry Christmas rant includes three...](https://www.rawstory.com/2019/12/psychiatrist-says-trumps-rambling-merry-christmas-rant-includes-three-signs-of-serious-mental-impairment/)** > > President Donald Trump's speech in Florida over the weekend provides evidence that he is suffering from cognitive decline, according to a psychiatric expert.Seth Davin Norrholm, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory... ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/252 "2020-03-01T04:52:08Z")
I just ran across [this article](https://medium.com/@dockruse/trump-nose-best-4fdefbca82c1) from January 2019. It’s written by an MD/PhD psychiatrist named John Kruse, who has a book out called _[Recognizing Adult ADHD: What Donald Trump Can Teach Us About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder](https://www.amazon.com/Recognizing-Adult-ADHD-Attention-Hyperactivity/dp/1949642224/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3F4V3KXJO1HZZ&keywords=recognizing+adult+adhd+john+kruse&qid=1576957164&sprefix=recognizing+adult+,aps,198&sr=8-2)_. I haven’t read the book, but in the article Kruse argues that Trump suffers from “severe ADHD”. Kruse says that many people mistakenly conclude that Trump’s more bizarre moments are the result of stimulant abuse. Kruse says: > [@](#): > > However, a more accurate assessment of the situation would address the evidence that we are examining the putative effects of stimulants not on a “normal” individual but on a man with severe ADHD. > > The following constitute an outline of the compelling case for Mr. Trump’s ADHD: He displayed symptoms of ADHD in childhood. Observable behaviors recorded on video suffice for fulfilling the current formal definition of ADHD; we do not need knowledge of his emotional state, motivations, or internal thoughts to diagnose this condition. He pervasively continues to display a broad array of ADHD symptoms. No other disorder comprehensively explains all of these behaviors. The presence of ADHD does not indicate the absence of other mental health problem; actually other mental health issues commonly co-occur with ADHD. He displays many aberrant behaviors unattributable to ADHD. Furthermore, other people with ADHD only resemble Mr. Trump in their shared ADHD traits, we should not stigmatize them with Mr. Trump’s particularly virulent lie-about-the-border, abuse-a-reporter, Adderall-snorter, generalized-disorder form of ADHD. Somewhat counterintuitively, stimulants such as Adderall help an individual with ADHD appear more “calm” by increasing the person’s ability to focus on one task or idea rather than jump from one thing to the next. Thus, according to Kruse, when we see Trump behaving in a manic manner, he is probably undermedicated, and when we see him in his more coherent and collected moments, he is probably benefiting from Adderall or a similar medication. He may well be taking the medication by the wrong routes and at the wrong times, but at least some of the time it’s having a positive effect, according to this view. The article is short, and worth a read. Is it an accurate read on the President’s condition? Fuck if I know. To this layperson, Kruse’s argument sounds pretty compelling. Trump may well have a multitude of neurological and psychological impairments, in addition to just being an all-around shitbag, but maybe runaway ADHD is the cause of the most visible symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/253 "2020-03-01T06:20:03Z")
I read recently that the President had slept only ninety minutes before his press conference. I have no idea if that is true. I have long thought that a timeline of his tweets and other activities would be useful in terms of determining if he is sleeping enough. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2020, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/254 "2020-03-01T14:30:57Z")
> [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](#): > > I read recently that the President had slept only ninety minutes before his press conference. I have no idea if that is true. I have long thought that a timeline of his tweets and other activities would be useful in terms of determining if he is sleeping enough. Hmmm… a medically-induced coma of indefinite length \*might \*be enough to improve his health and the health of the country. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/255 "2020-07-25T23:41:20Z")
And the latest information. Trump has started bragging about a test he took “recently” (about 2 years ago). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UevrEsoGO7Y/maxresdefault.jpg "President Trump Talks About Cognitive Test Again, Says Joe Biden Should Take It | TODAY") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UevrEsoGO7Y) The test is designed to detect signs of mental impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease. Anyone with a normal functioning brain would pass. Donald Trump passed the test. This shows that as of two years ago he did have a normal functioning brain. He wasn’t suffering any actual neurological disorder. He probably still isn’t. Of course, he’s still an idiot. The fact that he thinks this is some remarkable achievement shows a huge level of narcissism. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/256 "2020-07-26T18:47:36Z")
I took the same test [(the Montreal Cognitive Assessment)](https://www.parkinsons.va.gov/resources/MOCA-Test-English.pdf) as part of a neurological evaluation a month after my concussion, at a point when I was still dizzy walking down the street, seeing text scroll on a computer monitor made me queasy, and I couldn’t retain basic factual information at work long enough to get back to my desk and write it down. As you can see, it’s a very simple test. The only parts of it I had any difficulty with were the delayed recall and the fluency - I had trouble thinking of words that started with a particular letter, but part of my issue with that item was that I kept thinking of words in Spanish, which I assumed wouldn’t be terribly useful to the English-speaking neurologist. I would certainly have higher expectations of anyone holding the office of President of the United States. Passing that test certainly isn’t anything to brag about. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/257 "2020-07-26T19:23:14Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I kept thinking of words in Spanish, which I assumed wouldn’t be terribly useful to the English-speaking neurologist. I presume Spanish is your native language, and English is your second? I think the test is to see if you can comprehend and follow basic instructions. It isn’t a test of your vocabulary. I doubt you’d have been marked down for reverting to your native language. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/258 "2020-07-26T22:49:54Z")
Nope, English is my first language. But I have used Spanish a lot at work, and have done a lot of constant code-switching (I used to be a court interpreter). I actually asked the neuro how they score those tests for non-native English speakers, and she says they basically don’t. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/259 "2020-07-26T22:58:00Z")
Just want to point out that just because Donald Trump _says_ he passed the test doesn’t mean he passed. We have only his word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379/260 "2020-07-28T02:02:09Z")
To summarize the clip, Trump says there are 30 or 35 questions, the first are easy, the last questions are much more difficult, then gives example of a memory question, and says he completed it successfully. Ten minutes later they bring up the question again, then Trump does his usual thing of making something he did “bigger” and more amazing that it really is, which is to say, after ten minutes he once again gave the right answer. To me this is yet another in a long line of stories that for the most part do not put Trump in a particulary bad light, except for his aforementioned propensity to exaggerate, and yet certain press outlets cannot just let it go, or not even cover it in the first place, because to them, there is _no_ story to small or insignificant that they won’t waste time on it to make Trump look bad. There are so many stories that _do_ do this, legitimate stories that should worry us all. Every time I see time wasted on something like this, I can’t help but think what important stories are being ignored by the press. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-neurological-health-a-rational-discussion-please/836379.md?page=12)