Donald Trump’s Mental Health To Be Analyzed During Event Hosted By House Democrats
It what will likely be a controversial move, House Democrats announced an event that will focus on the work of Yale School of Medicine psychiatrist Dr. Brandy Lee, who wrote a book detailing the dangers of President Donald Trump’s mental health.
According to the Washington Examiner, the event will likely be held sometime in July, which will allow Democrats to finish work in what’s typically a busy June for lawmakers.
The message from Dr. Lee and fellow psychiatrists taking part will focus on Trump being unfit to hold office due to mental health problems that she and others have recognized since he’s taken office.
Dr. Lee explained in her new book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, that psychiatrists have a patriotic duty to alert voters if the president’s mental health is considered dangerous.
The event and her reasoning for it aren’t free from criticism from her peers, however. Many psychiatric associations highly encourage members not to diagnose someone who isn’t a patient, claiming that doing so could undermine the science behind their profession.
But Dr. Lee, along with those who support her position, argue that there is something so obviously wrong with his mental health that it wouldn’t require a professional diagnosis anyway.
“The president’s condition has been visibly deteriorating to the point where there’s a lot of talk right now about his mental state beyond mental health professionals,” Lee said. “It no longer takes a mental health professional to recognize the seriousness of the current presidency.”
Dr. Lee currently heads up a five-person group who meets regularly in Washington, D.C., to discuss plans for setting up a medical panel to evaluate the mental health of Democratic presidential candidates and Trump.
According to The Hill, the event will be hosted by House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth — who recently called for Trump’s impeachment — and Rep. Jamie Raskin. Both are Democrats.
“She’s calling it a town hall. We haven’t actually determined the format, but it’s going to be an event where she is going to present her findings, and media will be invited,” Yarmuth said.
Dr. Lee insists that the event will be one of a bipartisan nature — one that would allow lawmakers and others to ask questions. She also plans on a live broadcast so those not in Washington can watch and submit questions.
JUST IN: House Democrats to hold event with psychiatrist scrutinizing Trump's mental health https://t.co/DpfCbbFVjC pic.twitter.com/5P2nE3X6lV
— The Hill (@thehill) June 5, 2019
Yarmuth said all House members would be invited and even said he’d reconsider if none of the House Republicans committed to showing up.
Maria Oquendo, president of the American Psychological Association in 2016 when Trump’s mental health was questioned by his critics, reminded practitioners at the time that it would be “unethical” and “irresponsible” to psychoanalyze him or any other candidates.
