Oh really?
Is Donald Trump sane? The evidence suggests he’s not
By Dan Recht
Three weeks into the new presidential administration, many of us are overwhelmed by the constant barrage of bizarre and, frankly, incomprehensible “scandals” and controversies that have emanated from the White House.
I am not talking about the ban on visitors from seven Islamic countries, the building of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, or the appointment of executive branch agency heads who are devoted to abolishing them.
No, I am talking about the far more troubling string of statements issued by the president of the United States, whether in the form of middle-of-the-night tweets or in televised interviews and other public settings, in which easily proven facts are simply misrepresented or contradicted by absolute and unambiguous untruths, a.k.a. “lies”: that there were 1.3 million people on the National Mall for the inauguration, that it was the most widely viewed inauguration in U.S. history, and that 3 million illegal immigrants unlawfully cast their vote on Nov. 8, apparently all of them voting for Hillary Clinton, that busloads of Massachusetts residents rolled into New Hampshire to cast illegal votes, or that the American crime rate is the highest it’s been in 45 years.
This is not funny stuff. It is deadly serious. What these statements and others like them demonstrate is that the president of the United States is not sane. Read that again, slowly: The president of the United States is not sane.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association, is frequently used by professionals to diagnose mental conditions.
DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder include these features, among others:
• Having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
• Exaggerating your achievements and talents
• Being preoccupied with fantasies about success, power, brilliance, beauty or the perfect mate
• Requiring constant admiration
• Having a sense of entitlement
• Taking advantage of others to get what you want
• Behaving in an arrogant or haughty manner
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