Over the past months there have been a number of discussions regarding Donald Trump’s mental health. Jeffrey Lieberman calls for establishing physical and mental health standards in order to assess presidential candidates.
Over the past months, many have discussed Donald Trump’s mental health.
Some have questioned if Trump exhibits behaviors consistent with Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
According to Psychology Today, traits common among the affected include, “Grandiosity, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration,” as well as a, “struggle with criticism or defeat.”
In mid-February, more than a dozen professionals in the field issued an open letter about Trump, saying he suffered “grave emotional instability" and is not fit to serve in a presidential capacity.
However, even though credentialed individuals are behind those opinions, the diagnoses suggested may not have any bearing on Trump’s continued occupancy of the White House.
According to an opinion piece by psychiatrist Jeffrey Lieberman on The Hill, not only do they violate the Goldwater Rule, which notes that it's unethical for psychiatrists to make such claims without performing in-person assessments of public figures, but also, at this time, there is no standard for what constitutes adequate mental heath.
Lieberman says, "The convention has been to provide a doctor’s letter attesting to the candidate's’ health." However, he calls for examining more heath-related information, noting, "It is time to establish a standard for vetting the physical and mental health of candidates."
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently mentioned a proposal that "would require an independent medical assessment of the condition of the President, including mental health," reports CNN.
She commented, “If you're going to have your hands on the nuclear codes...we should probably know what mental state you're in."
