Mental Health Professionals Warn About Trump (NY Times LTTE)
To the Editor:
Charles M. Blow (column, nytimes.com, Feb. 9) describes Donald Trumps constant need to grind the opposition underfoot. As mental health professionals, we share Mr. Blows concern.
Silence from the countrys mental health organizations has been due to a self-imposed dictum about evaluating public figures (the American Psychiatric Associations 1973 Goldwater Rule). But this silence has resulted in a failure to lend our expertise to worried journalists and members of Congress at this critical time. We fear that too much is at stake to be silent any longer.
Mr. Trumps speech and actions demonstrate an inability to tolerate views different from his own, leading to rage reactions. His words and behavior suggest a profound inability to empathize. 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. Trumps speech and actions makes him incapable of serving safely as president.
LANCE DODES
JOSEPH SCHACHTER
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Dr. Dodes is a retired assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Schachter is a former chairman of the Committee on Research Proposals, International Psychoanalytic Association. The letter was also signed by 33 other psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/opinion/mental-health-professionals-warn-about-trump.html?src=me