Psychologists have sloppily applied a range of mental health diagnoses to now President Donald Trump. These constant attacks on the President’s mental health, however, further stigmatize mental illness and perpetuate the false narrative that mental illness causes an individual to be fundamentally flawed. Regardless of whether Trump does or does not have a mental illness, casually throwing around pseudo-clinical diagnoses as an attack against his administration is unethical, unprofessional and damaging to the millions of Americans suffering from mental illness today.
Several mental health professionals, including a Harvard professor of psychology, have gone on the record to diagnose Trump with a smorgasbord of mental health conditions. The only problem? Not a single one of these professionals has conducted any formal testing or even met Trump in person. Not only is this sloppy diagnostic work, but it also violates the American Psychiatric Association’s stance that it is unethical for psychiatrists to publicly diagnose individuals without personally examining the individual. While there is certainly something unprecedented about Trump’s behavior, it is inappropriate to jump to conclusions about the current state of his mental health.
Most of us — myself included — have attempted to understand Trump’s shocking lack of empathy, irrational behavior and erratic policy decisions by claiming that there is “just something off about him.” Yet the current conflicts in American politics are more complex than one man’s possible mental illness. Attributing current events to Trump’s “insanity” is no better than the Middle Ages’ practice of attributing disease to bad spirits and angry gods. By writing off Trump’s actions as inexplicably abnormal, we lose the ability to analyze the thought-process behind his decisions, effectively preventing us from addressing them in the future.
Additionally, mental illness should not be regarded as a barrier to roles of leadership on the world stage, provided that the leader receives adequate support and care. In fact, numerous former presidents and leaders have been suspected to have had mental illness yet still successfully carried out their duties. A recent study from Duke University Medical Center theorized that half of all U.S. presidents from 1776 to 1974 met the criteria for a diagnosis of mental illness. These presidents, per the study, included Calvin Coolidge, Thomas Jefferson, Woodrow Wilson, Lyndon Johnson and Theodore Roosevelt. Abraham Lincoln simultaneously battled depression and the Confederacy, yet managed to be regarded as one of the most beloved presidents in history.
A person can be a bad leader and not have a mental illness. Even if Trump does have a mental illness, it’s not an excuse for some of the decisions he’s made. By hurling allegations of mental illness against Trump, we continue to stigmatize and perpetuate stereotypes of individuals with mental illness.
Griffin is a Plan II and government junior from Dallas. Follow her on Twitter @OGlikesdogs
